It was released a deep and singular study about the feminine Monastery of Santa Maria de Arouca (Portugal). Arouca’s nuns descended from noble families. The analysis of the sociocultural status of that religious, the monastic everyday and Queen Mafalda leadership since she takes the monastery to adopt the Cistercian ideal (1226), serve to justify the high architectural quality of the building (XVII-XVIII centuries) and its entire stuffing, present in the church and monastic choir and at the Museum of Sacred Art.
The author, professor of history of art at the University of Porto, using an interpretative methodology, explains the aesthetic quality of objects and spaces produced by the artists more accredited of Oporto, Coimbra, Lisbon and Braga. Particular attention was the systematic study of the church and the monastic choir, where the golden rectangle has been the principle guiding of the architect Carlos Gimac, the best architect of the Kingdom, who conceived this set in the year 1704. The author also analyzes the importance of natural light, while in the search field (in the history of architecture) for deeper understanding of the architectural space. The book – A Memória de um Mosteiro. Santa Maria de Arouca (Séculos XVII-XX). Das Construções e das Reconstruções, by Manuel Moreira da Rocha – was launched by Editora Afrontamento, in collaboration with the Real Irmandade da Rainha Santa Mafalda, in the year 2011. Your request can be directed to rirsma.arouca.pt@gmail.com