Lisbon, Dec. 17, 2025 (Lusa) - Researcher Alexandre Parafita summarises stories, some shrouded in legend, of 153 convents and monasteries in his book "Lendas e Mitos dos Mosteiros em Portugal" (Legends and Myths of Monasteries in Portugal), recently published by Zéfiro.

"The monasteries and convents of Portugal are relics of a fascinating past," says the author, pointing to them as "living testimonies of a time immemorial," whose "religious life intersects with the history of Portugal."

Some of these buildings are classified as national monuments and even as World Heritage Sites by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), such as the Convent of Mafra, built in fulfilment of a vow made by João V, who wanted an heir who never arrived.

The work is not exhaustive, that is, it does not mention all the convents and monasteries in the country, but among those chosen, the region of Lisbon, where Mafra is located, is the most represented with 17 monasteries and convents, followed by Braga and Porto with 16, and then Guarda with 15.

The 153 places of seclusion for men and women visited in the book are divided by regions and autonomous regions, but there are special cases. Among the stories, there is a convent of the Franciscan Order, with no identified location, where the body of a nun is said to have flown. Also in the Cathedral of Angra do Heroísmo, in the Azores Islands, a choir boy is said to have thrown himself from a bell tower to escape punishment by a priest, but ‘the wind caught him by the cloak and carried him on its wings’ to the convent of Nossa Senhora da Esperança, "which was more than three wide streets away, on the other side of the Cathedral".

The author refers to his research work as "historical and ethnographic" based on primary sources, including bibliographic sources, with extensive use of authors from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.

Alexandre Parafita defends his "critical attitude towards romantic impulses", particularly those based on narratives inspired by oral tradition.

Regarding the use of the terms "convent" and "monastery," Alexandre Parafita states that he has not found "a strict distinction" - both are "places of retreat for religious Christians" - and acknowledges that the terms can lead to "natural confusion," although, in fact, there is no "conceptual duality."

The researcher clarifies, however, that monasteries are contemplative communities, "located in isolated places to favour silence and seclusion".

Convents, on the other hand, are "more focused on community life" with friars and nuns dedicating themselves to "religious and social activities that have an impact on the surrounding environment".

In Portugal, the oldest convents and monasteries date back to the 12th century, having emerged in the context of the Christian reconquest, which began in 718-722, starting in Asturias with the Battle of Covadonga, marking the beginning of the process that four centuries later would lead to the founding of Portugal.

The researcher emphasises the "crucial role" of religious communities "in the organisation of Portuguese territory, consolidating Christian power" in the face of territories still under Islamic rule after the Muslim invasion of 711.

Regarding the Monastery of Santa Cruz in Coimbra, founded in 1131, which was a centre for the dissemination of education and culture, also decisive for the work and figure of Afonso Henriques, the author says that it was "what today would be called a “communication and image office”.

The practice was followed by other institutions, such as the Monastery of Lorvão, in the district of Penacova, in the region of Coimbra, the Convent of Christ, in Tomar, the Monastery of Santa Maria de Pombeiro, in Felgueiras, in the region of Porto, and the monasteries of Alcobaça, in the region of Leiria, Sao. João de Tarouca, in the region of Viseu, and Sao. Vicente de Fora, in Lisbon.

The author highlights the military role played by various religious orders such as Avis and the Templars, not only during the Christian reconquest, but also centuries later, when some "took up arms against the French invaders who were pillaging convents and monasteries".

Some religious orders, such as the Carmelites in Porto, became directly involved in politics during the civil war that lasted from 1828 to 1834, siding with the absolutists led by Miguel I.

Alexandre Parafita uses popular expressions such as "saving the honour of the convent" or "only those inside the convent know what goes on there" to assert that monasteries and convents have "something secret and mysterious about them", some experiencing "scandalous disturbances", such as a page of the Bishop of Braga who secretly visited a nun at the Convent of Nossa Senhora da Conceição in that city and, having been discovered, was burned alive and buried in a secret location, thus saving "the honour of the convent".

The researcher also considers it worth noting "the importance of female monasteries and convents in promoting the status of women in Portugal," and cites the case of the poet Leonor de Almeida Portugal (1750-1839), Marquise of Alorna, who stated in one of her letters that her time as a prisoner in the convent of Celas allowed her to "develop intellectually".

Another area mentioned by the author is convent sweets and pastries, "with ancestral secrets, sometimes well hidden, in their preparation", citing various sweet specialities and the respective convent or monastery.

The author challenges readers to "visit these monuments", highlighting their "potential for promising religious and cultural tourism".

NL/AYLS // AYLS

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