Serra do Pilar Monastery

The monastery of Serra do Pilar is a former Augustinian monastery, built in the XVI century by order of King John III of Portugal, one of the main attractions of Porto.

Inside the monastery is a round church, which is an exact copy of the Roman church of St. Mary. Due to the lack of funds and the difficult political situation, it was built for more than 70 years. Inside the church there are several gold engravings, sculptures of Saints Eulalius, Apollonius and Augustine of the XVIII century.

From the territory of the monastery, a panoramic view of the surroundings of Porto opens, thanks to which the military became interested in them at the beginning of the XIX century. So, in 1809, then only the future field marshal, the future Prime Minister of Great Britain and the future hero of the Battle of Waterloo Count Wellington developed a plan for the Portuguese military campaign of the British army against the French. As a defensive object, the monastery was used during the civil war in Portugal - during the siege of Porto in 1832-1833 it was turned into barracks. Highly appreciating the strategic location of the monastery, the military do not forget about it to this day: most of the monastery belongs to the military department and is closed to visitors. However, access to the church and galleries of the monastery is still possible by prior arrangement.

In December 1996, the monastery of Serra do Pilar was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.