Founded in 1459, this Franciscan convent was the location for the romance between a nun and soldier that inspired Letters of a Portuguese Nun .
Indeed a romantic setting, it’s a delicate balance between no-nonsense Gothic and Manueline flights of fancy. The interior is lavish – amazing highlights are the rococo chapel with 17th- and 18th-century gilded woodwork, and a chapel inlaid with intricate marble. The chapterhouse is incongruously Arabian, with a beautiful ceiling painted with unfurling ferns, 16th-century tiles and a carved doorway. The cloister has some splendid 16th- and 17th-century azulejos .
Tucked inside this convent is the Museu Regional , displaying Roman lamps, glass bottles and stelae, and 16th- and 17th- century paintings. The admission fee includes entry to the Museu Visigótico.
