Panel depicting hunting scenes, Tarouca, Portugal (ceramic tiles)

Monastery of Santa Maria de Salzedas In its time, this was one of the largest Cistercian monasteries in Portugal, having been given vast areas of land in the surrounding region with the express duty of tilling and populating them. Construction work began in 1155, immediately after the Order had been given the lands by Egas Moniz, the tutor of D. Afonso Henriques, and his wife Teresa Afonso. It was consecrated in 1255, when the complex of monastic buildings was complete; Azulejo is a form of Portuguese or Spanish painted, tin-glazed, ceramic tilework. It has become a typical aspect of Portuguese culture, having been produced without interruption for five centuries; In Portugal and other Portuguese-speaking countries, azulejos are found on the interior and exterior of churches, palaces, ordinary houses, schools, restaurants, bars and even railway stations or subway stations. They constitute a major aspect of Portuguese architecture as they are applied on walls, floors and even ceilings. They were not only used as an ornamental art form, but also had a specific functional capacity like temperature control in homes. Many azulejos chronicle major historical and cultural aspects of Portuguese history;