Igreja de Santa Cruz

Coimbra


Overlooking the graceful Praça 8 de Maio, this is one of Coimbra's oldest churches, dating to the 12th century. Little remains of the original Romanesque structure, and it owes much of its current look to a 16th-century makeover. Step through the Renaissance porch and flamboyant 18th-century arch to the echoing tiled interior where you'll find the elaborate tombs of Portugal's first kings, Afonso Henriques and Sancho I. Also impressive is its restrained Manueline cloister.

Behind the church is the Jardim da Manga, once part of the cloister, and its curious fountain: a lemon-yellow, four-buttressed affair.