Church of Nossa Senhora da Graça

About this place

Begun in 1380 and completed in the early 15th century, this Gothic church is one of Santarém's major historic monuments. Its royal and noble connections are recorded in its tombs. Study the carved stonework and funerary monuments as evidence of medieval patronage and remembrance. The surviving funerary monuments connect the church with the Meneses family and the culture of noble commemoration. Their carved decoration records lineage and prestige as well as devotion. Reading these tombs alongside the architecture helps explain how a religious building could preserve the identity and ambitions of its patrons over generations.