The former Convent of the Conception in Beja has been a museum of some form since 1791, and is the oldest in Portugal.
Also known as the Beja Regional Museum, it’s an attraction that lets the architecture and furnishings do the talking.
There are many beautiful flourishes like the traceried balustrade capping the church and cloister, the frescos on the ceilings and walls, and the multitude of azulejos, some going back to the convent’s construction in the 1400s.
The convent is also furnished with Flemish, Spanish and Portuguese painting, and you’ll come across the story of Mariana Alcoforado.
She was the supposed author of the scandalous Cartas Portuguesas, passionate letters to a French lover published in the 17th century.
