Igreja de São João de Alporão (Archaeology Museum)

Medieval Gothic church housing Santarém's archaeology museum

The Igreja de São João de Alporão is a 12th-century Romanesque-Gothic church that now serves as Santarém's archaeology and sacred art museum. The building itself is a fine example of the transition from Romanesque to Gothic architecture, with carved capitals and pointed arches in the nave.

The collection includes Roman artifacts from Scallabis (the Roman name for Santarém), medieval sculptural fragments, and the remarkable Gothic tomb of Duarte de Menezes — one of the most unusual memorials in Portugal. The church is small and the visit won't take more than 45 minutes, but the quality of what's here justifies the entrance fee. It is one of the highlights of a day in Santarém.

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A story
The church was built in the 12th century but is best remembered for what it contains: the tomb of Duarte de Menezes, a Portuguese military commander who died fighting the Moors in Morocco in 1464. Only a single tooth was recovered from the battlefield. His family commissioned a magnificent Gothic tomb for the church — displayed inside — and placed the tooth in a small golden reliquary that fits in the palm of a hand. The tomb is one of the finest pieces of Gothic funerary art in Portugal.

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