Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar
Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar. Both the church of 1672 and cloister are circular in design. In back of the round church is the 66 foot (20 m) bell tower. Vila Nova da Gaia.
"On the S. Bank of the Douro, on the height just to the left of the bridge, amid eucalypti and live-oaks, lies the Augustine convent of Nossa Senhora da Serra do Pilar, now used as artillery barracks. ... The Augustinians are said to have founded the convent in 1540, when the hill was named the Monte de Sao Nicolau. It was, however, entirely rebuilt in 1602 and dedicated to Nossa Senhora do Pilar, whose image is still preserved here".--Baedeker 1913
Historic Centre of Oporto, Luiz I Bridge and Monastery of Serra do Pilar UNESCO World Heritage site.
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Following its heyday as a world power during the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and the independence in 1822 of Brazil a... ... read more 
