The small urban-type settlement of Batalha is located 120 kilometers north of Lisbon , in the district of Leiria. It has a population of only seven and a half thousand, but it is here that you can see and admire one of Portugal's main landmarks, the Monastery of Santa Maria de Vitória. It is also known as the Monastery of Batalha, which in Russian means "Battle Monastery."

The massive Dominican monastery is built in the Gothic style, its facades decorated with intricate stone carvings and adorned with sculptures, including figures of the twelve apostles. Its history is fascinating, and even more so, the reason for its founding.

In 1383, King Ferdinand I of Portugal, son of King Pedro I, died without male heirs. His death brought an end to the Burgundian royal dynasty, which had ruled the country since 1139. Shortly before or immediately after his death—sources differ—Fernando's only daughter, ten-year-old Beatriz, married King Juan I of Castile. This gave the King of Castile the right to claim the Portuguese throne. However, the Portuguese Cortes opposed this prospect, which meant the loss of the country's independence, and appointed Pedro I's illegitimate son, João, as regent and then elected king, ushering in the reign of the new House of Avis in Portugal.

Juan I, having lost hope of gaining the Portuguese throne peacefully, declared war on Portugal and invaded its borders. The decisive battle took place in 1385 near the city of Aljubarrota, King João I He personally participated in the fighting, with Álvares Pereira exercising overall command of the troops. The Portuguese achieved a decisive victory, routing the enemy. Juan I was forced to renounce his claim to the Portuguese throne.

To commemorate this battle, which demonstrated the Portuguese people's fortitude and will to independence, João I decided to build a monastery dedicated to the battle in a sparsely populated area. Construction began in 1385 and continued throughout the next forty-eight years of his reign, but the work was never completed. A monument to King João I, who ruled the country for fifty long years, can be seen in Lisbon's Figueira Square.

The construction continued under his descendants: King Duarte I, who decided to establish a pantheon of great people of Portugal in the monastery, Afonso V the African, João II and ended in 1517 under Manuel I.

Duarte I's wish to create a pantheon was partially realized. The monastery houses the burial places of João I and his wife Philippa of Lancaster, their sons Duarte I and Henry the Navigator.

The figure of Philippa of Lancaster is depicted by the sculptor on the starboard side of the caravel monument, the so-called Monument to Discoveriesof the BelenePortugal's national hero, Álvares Pereira, who led his troops in the Battle of Aljubarrota, is also remembered. A monument to him stands in the square in front of the Batalha Monastery.

A village grew around the monastery in 1500, attracting tourists from all over the world. The Portuguese, too, have not forgotten and honor their heroic past.

Yuri Trifonov.