ALCOBAA

town and concelho (township), Leiria distrito (district), west-central Portugal. It lies at the confluence of the Alcoa and Baa rivers, just south-southwest of the city of Leiria. Alcobaa is notable for its Cistercian monastery (Mosteiro de Santa Maria), founded in 1152 by King Afonso I in thanksgiving for the reconquest of Santarm from the Moors and rebuilt in the 13th century. During the Middle Ages the monastery rivaled the greatest European abbeys in size and wealth. It now houses the tombs of Portuguese royalty. The vast, austere abbey is early Gothic, with Baroque and later additions. Portions of the monastery's library are preserved in the public libraries of Lisbon and Braga. The economy of the town centres on fruit growing (begun in the 12th century by the monks) and preserving, textile milling, and ceramic manufacturing. Pop. (1991 prelim.) town, 5,159; concelho, 53,880.