Maltezas Convent, Estremoz

Visit the historical Maltezas Convent and its Manueline cloister, the biggest one of all the convents in Estremoz, in Alentejo, Portugal.

Maltezas Convent
© Câmara Municipal de Estremoz

The Convento das Maltezas (Maltezas Convent), also known as Convento de São João da Penitência, is one of the must-visit buildings before you go to the upper side of Estremoz. It is a convent founded in the 16th c. by nuns of the Malta Order. On its cloister, frescoes from the 16th and 17th centuries and a unique fountain are exhibited.

9h00 to 20h00 | Saturdays and Sundays: from 10h00 to 20h00.

The cloister boasts being the largest of all in the city and its architecture is Manueline. Each one of its wings has ten arches subdivided in four lobed arcades and two simple ones. The shafts (central part of a column) are supported in squared bases, with simple plain capitals or with nature motifs; while the cupola has traditional Manueline anthropomorphics and zoomorphics motifs.

The Renaissance left its trace in the tank of the central garden.
In 1973, after some painting works on the outside, the primitive portal of the Sala do Capítulo Room was exposed, from the Manueline period, which was covered in the 18th c.

This building was used as the Hospital da Misericórdia, although it currently works as a church and as one of the headquarter of the University of Évora. Furthermore, the Southern wing hosts the Centro de Ciência Viva de Estremoz (Estremoz Living Science Centre), an interactive and pedagogic museum dedicated to geology.

More information:

Location:

Rossio Marquês de Pombal, Estremoz.

Opening Hours:

Monday 9h00 to 12h30 and from 14h00 to 20h00 | From Tuesday to Friday: from

Mapa Interactivo:

Other worth-visiting nearby towns and cities:

Why "Portugal Travel"?

Portugal Travel is an organization of Portuguese agencies whose objectives are:

✓ To make Portugal, its culture and its heritage known.
✓ To promote sustainable tourism.

In collaboration with:

Escola Superior de Hotelaria e Turismo do Estoril

Turismo de Portugal