Cistercians in Douro

In the form of two hundred pages of printed and projected images, the “Cistercian in the Douro” catalogue is a multimedia installation intended to be installed in crowded public spaces, fulfilling the double objective of sharing the Douro´s Cistercian heritage and contributing to the consolidation of its research.

Going beyond the conventional format of an exhibition catalogue, “Cistercians in the Douro” sought to bring a diverse group of researchers together who, as a whole, contribute to a general and multifaceted view of the Cistercian phenomenon in the region, in the light of current findings. Thirteen researchers accepted the challenge, building a dialogue with and between objects, ideas, forms, texts and contexts, in order to (re)construct ruins and fragments, seeking to draw a clearer image of the past, of collective memory and heritage.

Organised chronologically, “Cistercians in the Douro” is a collection of findings about a remarkable group of Cistercian buildings erected mainly during the Middle Ages – Santa Maria de Aguiar, São Pedro das Águias, Santa Maria de Salzedas, São João de Tarouca and Santa Maria de Arouca – and, as in the case of Tabosa, erected during the Modern Age.