WATER PLANNING IN ALCOBAÇA CISTERCIAN LANDS

in English languageThis paper concerns the main domain (“coutos”) of the Cistercian Abbey of Alcobaca (central Portugal), founded in 1153. It shows the involvement of the monks in shaping hydraulic landscapes along time. This monastic territory is limited westwards by the Atlantic ocean with a cliff coast  indented by two large gulfs, the former Pederneira and Alfeizerao lagoons, sanded up presently. These landscapes have been consolidated along with the monks’ intervention in the hydrographic plan, particularly through a network of canals, the types of which can be summarized as follows:- canals for water conveyance and evacuation,  to and from the abbey buildings;- canals related with water-powered engines as grain-, oil-, saw-  and fulling-mills, forges and other industrial devices; - canals consequent to the diversion of rivers and streams with two main purposes: . to drain the  fields in order  to improve the marshes for agricultural use; . to irrigate cultures.Keywords: Hydraulic landscapes, Canals, Cistercians, Alcobaca Abbey. Abstract in Portuguese languageEste artigo respeita os coutos da Abadia Cisterciense de Alcobaca (Portugal Central), fundada em 1153. Nele se apresenta o envolvimento dos monges na modelacao de paisagens hidraulicas ao longo do tempo. Este territorio monastico esta limitado pelo Oceano Atlântico, a Oeste, sendo a costa escarpada recortada por dois grandes golfos, as antigas lagoas de Pederneira e de Alfeizerao, actualmente assoreadas. A intervencao dos monges permitiu que estas paisagens se fossem  consolidando, atraves sobretudo da instalacao de uma rede de canais cuja tipologia pode ser resumida do seguinte modo:- canais para aducao aos edificios abaciais e para evacuacao da agua destes;- canais para a producao da energia hidrica necessaria a moinhos, lagares, serracoes, pisoes, forjas e outros equipamentos industriais;- canais relacionados com o desvio de rios e ribeiros, com duas finalidades basicas: - drenagem dos campos  com vista a sua recuperacao para a agricultura; . irrigacao agricola.Palavras- Chave: Paisagens hidraulicas, Canais, Cistercienses, Abadia de Alcobaca