Cloister of the Cells (Coimbra) (**) (part 2)
September 7, 2011 by Castile
Categories: Coimbra , Municipalities , District, Coimbra , Churches , More , All articles
Cloister of the Cells (Coimbra)
The facade of the Monastery of Cells is pierced by a sixteenth-century noble portal. On the right side opens a Manueline portal. The top floor is marked by seventeenth-century gallery deck and railings torn from nine spans.
In the courtyard to the right was the house of the abbess (today is a former elementary school), kitchen and cafeteria, to the left we see the ruins of old inns, the office of the seventeenth century convent and in the background, a door, all this whole left side was just recently the construction of a private building which generated much controversy, including the destruction of a portal. You can see here in the SIC report .
Preceded by a small lobby, the church of circular plan, was completed in 1529. In fact the entire monastery has undergone profound renovations in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, especially the abadessado D. Leonor de Vasconcelos.
The main chapel is on the right of the entrance, opposite the chorus line. Covers the Manueline church a beautiful starry vault, ribbed limestone decorated by rosettes keys, upheld the closing of the Portuguese escudo handled by two eagles. It should be noted the paneling of tiles, the second half of the eighteenth century and manufacturing Coimbra, dealing with scenes of the Annunciation and the Visitation. Flank the arch two altars, and the Mercy of Christ and still in the sacristy is an altar of stone, with bas-relief of S. Martin and the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist, probably by Jean de Rouen.
The arch of the chancel, eighteenth century, has a small Manueline vault with weapons of Vasconcelos. Fills the arc an interesting wrought iron railing, left the workshop Coimbra eighteenth century. The chorus, simple and spacious, boasting stalls without ornamentation, with two rows of high-backed, the work of the late sixteenth century.
In the choir we find a small and beautiful sixteenth-century painting of the Annunciation.
The door of the choir room into the antechamber of the chapter (originally meant to be a bow to the tomb of Abbess Leonor Vasconcelos, responsible for remodeling of the sixteenth century Monastery of Cells) due to Nicholas Chanterene and bears the date 1526 , showing the arms of the abbess D. Leonor de Vasconcelos and the Infanta Dona Sancha.
The room of the chapter provides coverage stone coffered dome, seventeenth-century tiles lining the walls on the stone benches. On top of the arch rests on a corbel sculpture of the Risen Christ, opening the side niches harboring S. Benedict and S. Bernardo.
The remarkable cloister of the Monastery of Cells (**)
Undoubtedly the greatest source of artistic interest lies in this monastery cloister of the Monastery of Cells.
The gallery north and east, the sixteenth-century cloister of the Monastery of Cells develops into three groups of two arches, supported by Doric columns. The south and west wings belong to the twelfth or fourteenth century and are formed by 12 full arches, supported by slender detached columns with capitals extraordinary historian
The capitals of the cloister of the Monastery of Cells are divided into four groups, and iconography. The first is alluding to themes cistológicos (Annunciation and Visitation, Flagellation and the Crucifixion; Appearance to Mary Magdalene and Christ in Limbo, Christ the Way to Calvary. Descimento Cross, according to the hagiographic themes (eg the beheading of John the Baptist); another with other reasons (Santiago Horse fighting a Moor, dragons, human figures), and another one still with plant decoration.
Do not know the origin of the Romanesque-Gothic capitals, even if they were first built here to another place in Coimbra. Just know that these or the set of the Doric column was placed here in 1533.
The magnificent cloister of the Monastery of Cells, was much smaller and that was the target of deep arrangement in the sixteenth century, greatly increasing its size. 
After seeing this excellent site, can give us a hunger and as in almost all convents, this too had its sweets, this very unique case: the blancmange ( read here ) or perhaps not incorrect to call it titty of a nun? Unfortunately we did not find so sweet pudding or the convent or its surroundings ... well, fiquemo us for a coffee with a saucer of peanuts unwise.
