Batalha Monastery angels inspire first colloquium edition

The figures of twelve musician angels on the main portal and central nave of the Batalha monastery church are the inspiration for the first edition of a colloquium dedicated to ancient peninsular music on Saturday.

It was from these musician angels that the idea arose to hold in Batalha Monastery a meeting that aims to deepen the knowledge of ancient peninsular music, from the 15th and 16th centuries.

The importance of the ensemble deserved a study by the researcher Luís Correia de Sousa, specifically about the angels-musicians. The conclusions are presented at the Saturday colloquium.

The program also includes an intervention by Hugo Sanches on 16th-century music in the context of peninsular relations, Jorge Lira will speak of musical traditions in a journey of almost a thousand years by the evolution of the bagpipes and, finally, Orlando Trindade shows and plays replicas of medieval instruments.

The colloquium follows the important role played by music in the history of Batalha Monastery.

While it was a Dominican convent, devoted to theological teaching, it is estimated that in the Founder’s Chapel alone, about 3,000 liturgical acts related to the kings and infants buried there were held annually.

The congress will be held at the Monastery, starting at 2:30 pm.