Convento DI Santa Maria DI Aguiar, Mosteiro E Igreja De Santa Maria De Aguiar, Figueira De Castelo Ro

CONVENTO DE SANTA MARIA DE AGUIAR
Castelo Rodrigo, Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo, Guarda, Portugal

A 12th-century Cistercian monastery estate for sale in northern Portugal, classified a National Monument since 1932, set in approximately 20 hectares of private land beside the Ribeira de Aguiar, a tributary of the Douro. A nationally classified monument in continuous private ownership, licensed and trading as tourism accommodation, offered as a whole with its land and its full portfolio of buildings.

INVESTMENT SUMMARY

The estate comprises eight registered articles, one rural and seven urban, held in full ownership by a single Portuguese company and declared free of charges. Registered gross construction totals 1,248 sq m across the seven urban buildings, on 204,440 sq m of land. Acquisition structure, asset or corporate, can be discussed with the vendor.

The value case rests on three points. Tourism use is already licensed and trading, so a buyer inherits an income-producing asset rather than a planning risk. Roughly half the built area sits in buildings not currently generating revenue, giving headroom to add keys without extending the footprint. And the price sits well below comparable classified estates in Sintra, the Alentejo or the Douro.

THE BUILDINGS

The guest house was rebuilt in 1997 and operates as turismo de habitação over two floors, with eleven suites. Further suites occupy annex buildings, and two independent houses hold additional bedrooms.

The Casa do Capítulo, the former chapter house, is the second largest building on the estate. It offers 364 sq m over two floors on a 1,860 sq m plot with a 750 sq m building footprint, the clearest redevelopment opportunity in the portfolio.

Two former agricultural barns of 135 and 140 sq m, a single-storey tourism support building, a small house and a further building in residential and administrative use complete the group. Each is a conversion candidate.

A library panelled entirely in wood. A fully glazed dining room open to the landscape. A covered porch used for breakfast service. Formal gardens, an outdoor pool with changing rooms and a Turkish bath, a tennis court and open fireplaces. Guest rooms are named after the monastic history of the house and furnished with period pieces.

HISTORY

Founded around 1170, Santa Maria de Aguiar was one of the great Cistercian houses of the Riba Côa frontier, territory contested between Portugal and León until the Treaty of Alcanices in 1297. The architecture is Romanesque and Gothic, the church built to the Cistercian plan as a Latin cross with three naves, a projecting transept and a stepped chevet.

LOCATION

The walled historic village of Castelo Rodrigo, one of the twelve Historic Villages of Portugal, lies around 3.5 km away. The Côa Valley Archaeological Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site holding the largest known open-air collection of Palaeolithic rock art, is nearby, as are the Douro Internacional Natural Park and the Alto Douro wine region. Ciudad Rodrigo and Salamanca sit across the Spanish border. The corridor is maturing fast as a tourism destination and remains under-supplied in high-end accommodation.

POSITIONING

Three routes forward. A boutique hotel or rural resort, expanding the licensed room count into the existing secondary buildings. A private historic estate with provenance, scale and privacy. Or an institutional use, whether foundation, retreat, wellness or academic.

Alterations to a classified property require heritage authority approval, and classified status carries tax advantages. Both are set out in full in the buyer information pack.

Full documentation, land registry extracts and operating information available to qualified buyers on identification. Accompanied viewings by appointment.
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