International Congress “The Patronage of Queen Leonor – Art, Power, and Devotion on the 500th Anniversary of Her Death”

Name: International Congress “The Patronage of Queen Leonor – Art, Power, and Devotion on the 500th Anniversary of Her Death”
Start: 2025-11-27T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2025-11-29T23:59:59+00:00

27.11.2025 - 29.11.2025

27/11 Grande Auditório da Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal (Lisboa),
28/11 Casa Ásia - Coleção Francisco Capelo (Lisboa)
29/11 Auditório do CCCR (Caldas da Rainha)

On November 17, 2025, we commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Queen Leonor of Lancaster (2 May 1458 – 17 November 1525). Queen of Portugal from 1477 until her death, D. Leonor played an undeniable political role and was widely known for her commitment to the Misericórdias. She also had a fundamental impact on cultural and artistic life, closely connected with the promotion of renewed and more austere forms of religious devotion. A powerful, educated, and devout woman, she was therefore also an active patron of the arts — founding religious houses, commissioning artworks, acquiring books, and sponsoring some of their earliest printed editions.

For all these reasons, the Institute for Medieval Studies (IEM – NOVA FCSH) and the Centre for the Study of Religious History (UCP-CEHR) are organizing an International Congress, to be held on November 27, 28, and 29, 2025, marking the 500th anniversary of the queen’s death. The event will be coordinated by researchers Delmira Espada Custódio, João Luís Fontes, Maria Adelaide Miranda, and Maria Filomena Andrade.

In addition to a large number of national and international speakers, the Congress aims to foster broader public knowledge of the heritage associated with Queen Leonor’s patronage, through guided visits and thematic exhibitions. The event itself will take place in different venues, encouraging direct engagement with the sites that preserve important collections related to D. Leonor’s cultural and religious patronage.

Registration (except for teachers seeking accreditation) here.

The initiative is accredited for primary and secondary school teachers in the fields of History (200 and 400), Portuguese (300), Arts (600), and Philosophy (410). Registration must be completed directly through the Training Centers associated with the event. To access information on the available formats, procedures, and contacts, click here.