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Portuguese Gothic architecture is the architectural style prevalent in Portugal in the Late Middle Ages.
The first entirely Gothic construction in Portugal was the Monastery of Alcobaça (works began in 1178 and was first inhabited in 1222). In the meantime, the transition between Romanesque and Gothic styles slowly took place in Portugal, with many churches having been built in this transitionary style. Much like in the rest of Europe, such distinctions are difficult to categorize, with many styles being present in Gothic Portuguese architecture, in fact it is not uncommon to see Romanesque elements as late as the 14th century.
Manueline style, unique to this part of Europe was named after king Manuel I of Portugal, whose reign coincided with the development of the style. Manueline incorporates maritime elements and representations of the discoveries brought from the voyages of Vasco da Gama and Pedro Álvares Cabral and the other Portuguese explorers. The innovative style synthesizes aspects of Late Gothic architecture related to Isabelline style with Italian, Flemish and Spanish Plateresque elements. It marks the transition from Late Gothic to Renaissance. The construction of churches and monasteries in Manueline was largely financed by the lucrative spice trade with Africa, India and later Brazil.
[edit] Sequence of Gothic styles in Portugal
- Romanesque-Gothic Transition (12th century)
- Early Gothic (13th century)
- High Gothic (14th to the mid-15th centuries)
- Manueline (mid-15th century 16th century)
[edit] See also
