After the Canons: a Quarry Lake below Vila Boa do Bispo
The canons left. The stone stayed. And the quarry filled with water.
For eight centuries, Vila Boa do Bispo was a religious house: founded, by tradition, by the Gascos de Ribadouro, whose story opens this series, then home to the Augustinian canons who rebuilt it in the Baroque manner, told in the second part. In 1834 that history ended, and another began.
1834: from priory to quinta
In 1834 the liberal government dissolved the religious orders in Portugal and their property passed to the State. Vila Boa do Bispo was sold to private owners. The church remained in the hands of the parish, while the conventual house, its cloister and its land became a private estate, the Quinta do Mosteiro.
The twentieth century was not always kind to it. In 1953, when the quinta was on the market, the old refectory was being used as a granary, and the classification of its azulejos was proposed. In 1977 the church was classified as a National Monument and the former monastery as a Property of Public Interest. In 1997 the national monuments service called for the conservation of the cloister murals and the refectory tiles.
A parish of granite, a river of mills.
Granite and the Tâmega
Vila Boa do Bispo sits on the western slopes of Montedeiras, and granite has long been part of its economy: the parish has valuable deposits, still quarried and worked. The Tâmega runs along the lower edge of the parish; in the past its waters turned many mills, and today its banks are a place of leisure.
Below the monastery, close to the river, lay an old granite quarry. The current owner acquired it and turned it into a lake: the cut faces of the rock now drop into still, dark water, ringed by a stone path and wooded slopes. Where stone was once taken out, there is now a natural swimming pool.
Where stone was taken, water has come in.
The estate today
The conventual house keeps its two-storey cloister, its refectory lined with azulejos, long corridors under wooden ceilings and rooms of thick granite walls. Around it, 27 hectares of land spread down towards the river: gardens with old trees, a pergola for long lunches, ponds and the quarry lake. In all there are 13 bedrooms and 16 bathrooms, about an hour from Porto.
The church of Santa Maria remains the parish church and a National Monument, and it is not part of the sale. The former conventual house and its land are for sale through Wiseguys Properties: see the monastery estate near Porto.
Frequently asked questions
What happened to the monastery in 1834?
The religious orders were dissolved in Portugal, and the monastery was sold to private owners. The church remained the parish church.
Is there a natural swimming pool?
Yes. An old granite quarry below the monastery, near the Tâmega, was acquired by the current owner and turned into a lake.
How big is the estate?
About 27 hectares, with 13 bedrooms and 16 bathrooms in the former conventual house.
Is the monastery classified?
Yes. Since 1977 the church has been a National Monument and the former monastery a Property of Public Interest.
Is the church for sale?
No. Only the former conventual house and its land are for sale, through Wiseguys Properties.
Further reading: Listed Buildings in Portugal: Buying a Classified Property.
Sources: SIPA, Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Vila Boa do Bispo; Património Cultural, Decreto n.º 129/77; Junta de Freguesia de Vila Boa do Bispo, História. Photographs: Wiseguys Properties.
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