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Domingues, Domingos
( fl c. 1308–31). Portuguese architect. Only two works by him are known, both royal commissions: the cloister of Alcobaça Abbey, built in 1308 by order of King Diniz (reg 1279–1325), and Sta Clara-a-Velha, Coimbra, begun in 1316 under the patronage of Isabella, the wife of King Diniz. The Alcabaça cloister is a spacious construction appropriate to the grandiose proportions of the earlier church. Despite being a Cistercian foundation, the austerity prescribed by Bernard of Clairvaux was disregarded, and the capitals of the cloister have naturalistic foliage in high relief and zoomorphic elements in the Romanesque tradition. The cloister is only the second in Portugal, after that of Coimbra Old Cathedral (built in the second half of the 12th century), to have ambitiously designed proportions and complete vaulting. Sta Clara-a-Velha is remarkable in that the church is vaulted throughout, unlike most Portuguese Gothic churches, where only the chevet is vaulted. Domingues gave the nave a Romanesque barrel vault reinforced by strong arches, and only the central rib running longitudinally the length of the church reveals its Gothic date. A more original solution was adopted in the aisles: by raising them to the same height as the nave, it was possible to have two-light windows in the outer walls, admitting indirect subdued lighting to the nave. Hall churches were not common in Portugal in this period, and Domingues may have been inspired by Alcobaça Abbey.
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