The Congregation of Saint Paul of Serra de Ossa (Ossa Mountain) was founded in 1482, originated by the eremitic movement of the homens da pobre vida (poor life men), which is documented since 1366. The community of hermits expanded up to the first half of the 15th century, mostly in southern Portugal in the Alentejo region. In 1578, following a process of institutionalization led by the Church, an autonomous congregation was set up, affiliated in the Hungarian Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit, until 1834, when the decree of dissolution of the religious orders disbanded all the convents and monasteries in Portugal. After that, some still retained characteristics of considerable patrimonial and scientific interest, others have been transformed, usually due to a change of purpose, and others are in a state of ruin. These architectural evidences, although studied and analysed from an historical point of view, are still little known with respect to the architectural characteristics of its physical implantation and its relationship with the natural systems. The research aims to fill the gaps about the material study of the Congregation’s settlements; a survey of examples still standing in Alentejo is carried out by the author through a literature review, archival dataset and on-site morphological and spatial analyses. For some selected cases – e.g. Santa Margarida do Aivado e Santa Catarina de Montemuro – digital survey campaigns are carried out by using traditional and digital techniques, integrating the morphological data coming from like 3D laser scanning with the material data obtained with the photogrammetry SfM – Structure from Motion. From the acquired data, 2d drawings (plants, elevations and sections) and 3d (three-dimensional models) are elaborated. These elements constitute an unpublished digital documentation that shows the current state of the extinct monastery, and a base for conservation and restoration interventions. First research results show analogies in the choice of the location and in the criteria of implantation of the monasteries of the Congregation of Saint Paul of Serra de Ossa, which are characterized by vernacular features with a formal austerity typical of the architecture of south Portugal. Future research suggestions could be focused on the comparison between all the monasteries Congregation of Serra de Ossa architectures, and between those – belonging to monastic or mendicant orders – of the Alentejo region, to identify dissonances and continuities.

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Alentejo,Congregation of Saint Paul of Serra de Ossa,Digital Documentation,Monastic Landscape and Architecture