2021-05-03 Mon

The Santa Cruz Monastery or Monastery of the Holy Cross is a National Monument of Portugal which is situated at a place called Coimbra. Because the first two kings of Portugal are buried in the church it was granted the status of National Pantheon.

Founded in 1131 outside the protecting walls of Coimbra, the Santa Cruz Monastery was the most important monastic house during the early days of the Portuguese monarchy. St. Theotonius founded this community of canons regularly and served as their first prior. The monastery and church were erected between 1132 and 1223.

This medieval architecture has been depicted on a 500 Escudos banknote issued in the year 1942. The banknote features the Portrait of Damiao de Gois who was an important Portuguese philosopher at the right along with Cherubs from Azulejo in the cloister of Monastery at the center. The reverse, on the other hand, depicts the renaissance Pulpit in the Church of the Monastery along with the name of the country at the top and the denomination on the left.

Image Courtesy: worldbanknotescoins.com