Monuments

Formed in 1685 at the initiative of D. Maria Pereira, this convent was to be the last Cistercian foundation in Portugal. The founder, who was a widow with no heirs, chose her estate at Tabosa so that "the property that God had given her could be used in His service and for the benefit of her soul and family".

In 1771, the king ordered the nuns to be transferred to Setúbal, where they remained until 1779. That year they returned to Tabosa, and the buildings were repaired. In 1834, with the suppression of the religious orders, the noviciate was closed, although the convent remained in service until the death of the last nun in 1850.

The convent's main entrance has an elegant baroque design with pilasters that continue to the upper part of the building, where they frame a large window, above which is a niche with a statue of St. Bernard and the coats of arms of both Portugal and the Congregation. The upper storey has several large barred windows through which the nuns looked out upon the world outside.

The most notable features inside the church are the baroque carved and gilded woodwork that decorates the altars, the painted valance of the crossing arch and the painted caissons in the chancel ceiling. The visitor's attention is also drawn to the beautiful wooden grille on the back wall, with a central opening through which the nuns received communion.

Although the area where the monastic buildings once stood is now in ruins, it is still possible to see the beautiful cloister with its Tuscan columns.