Cathedral of Évora (Sé de Évora)

The Cathedral of Évora — Sé de Évora — is the largest medieval cathedral in Portugal, a granite Romanesque-Gothic hulk that dominates the hilltop at the heart of the walled city. Construction began in 1186, and the result is a satisfying mix of styles: Romanesque towers flanking the west facade, a Gothic nave inside, and a Gothic cloister with Renaissance elements added in later centuries.

The interior is worth entering for the sculptural portal figures and the Museum of Sacred Art, which holds some excellent medieval ivories and Flemish religious paintings. The cloister is cool and peaceful on a hot afternoon. Most rewarding of all is the roof terrace — climb the stairs from the cloister for views across the Roman temple, the city walls, and the endless brown-and-green Alentejo plain stretching to the horizon.

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The Évora cathedral was begun in 1186, the same decade as Notre-Dame de Paris, which gives you a sense of how old the Gothic world is getting. In the 14th century a Virgin and Child was installed in the main portal — widely considered one of the finest pieces of Gothic sculpture in Portugal. The roof terrace, reached by a staircase from the cloister, offers the best panorama in the city.

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