Page "National monuments of Portugal" Paragraph 9

Although there are numerous monuments from various ages some of them have a special value due to their historical, architectural, artistic and cultural importance.

These monuments are classified and protected by the Instituto de Gestão do Património Arquitectónico e Arqueológico ( IGESPAR ) ( Institute for the Management of Architectural and Archaeological Heritage ), which classifies national treasures in terms of several general criteria: historic and cultural, aesthetic and social, technical and scientific, but also includes issues of integrity, authenticity and exemplary importance.