“We consider this work essential for the renovation and modernization of the historical, architectural, and cultural heritage of our territory,” stated Hermínio Rodrigues, the Mayor of Alcobaça, as he announced that the municipality in Leiria district is “working closely with the government to explore new financing solutions within the framework of the 2030 Community Support Framework.”
The rehabilitation of the Paço Abacial and the Cardinal Cloister at the Alcobaça Monastery was initially approved for full funding by the PRR but was recently added to the list of projects subject to postponement or cancellation due to time constraints, with completion required by June 30, 2026.
This project also included the rehabilitation of the Celeiro and the Upper Zone of the Cerca, the requalification of the Obelisk Garden, and the conservation and restoration of the Stone Tank.
Responding to inquiries, Património Cultural, I.P. explained that the first public tender for the rehabilitation of the Cardinal Cloister, launched on January 27, with a budget of 4.3 million euros, did not attract bidders.
To “offer better conditions to the market,” the Cultural Heritage Safeguard Fund, managing the PRR amounts, increased the initial allocation for the Alcobaça Monastery from 4,949,535.76 euros by one million euros.
Under an interadministrative contract with the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage, the Alcobaça Municipality supplemented this increase with 1.5 million euros from its own budget.
On June 25, a second tender was launched for the rehabilitation of the Cardinal Cloister, with an increased budget of 5.8 million euros, which again failed to attract bidders.
Considering the PRR’s timeline, “pursuing a third tender was not viable, leading to the exclusion of the Executive Project for the Rehabilitation of the Paço Abacial and the Cardinal Cloister,” confirmed the Património Cultural, stating that these projects “will be submitted for funding under Portugal 2030.”
The removal of this project from the PRR list also necessitated a revision of the funding allocated to the Alcobaça Monastery, which now stands at 3,049,535.76 euros, currently under execution.
According to the latest status report from Património Cultural, the rehabilitation of the Celeiro and the Upper Zone of the Cerca was awarded to Construbel, Lda., for 1,283,803.15 euros. The contract was signed on July 2, and work commenced on August 18.
Meanwhile, the requalification of the Obelisk Garden was awarded to Advanced Green, Lda., for 1,179,998 euros, with work scheduled to start in November.
A public tender will also be launched for the conservation and restoration project of the Obelisk Garden’s Stone Tank, with an estimated execution time of around 150 days.
