Located in Penacova, district of Coimbra, the Monastery of Lorvão will be transformed into a new hotel by Soft Time Unipessoal, Lda. The property is under a 5-year concession after a public tender under Portugal’s Revive programme’s auspices. Soft Time won the bidding process to rebuild the structure and operate it as a hotel.
The most probable date of the Lorvão Monastery foundation dates back to the year 878, after the first Christian reconquest of Coimbra. The Monastery of Santa Maria de Lorvão was also once a psychiatric hospital, the Lorvão Psychiatric Hospital, which closed in 2012. Since 1910, the Monastery of Lorvão was part of the first group of buildings classified as National Monuments in Portugal. The refurbishment will preserve parts of the church, Cadeiral, Cloister of Silence and Zimbório (the monument’s dome), which provide an enriching and memorable experience.
The group plans to invest approximately seven million euros, and the hotel is expected to provide the Portuguese state with an annual income of 37,320 euros.
The Lorvão Monastery is one of 49 properties registered under the Revive programme. Tenders for the concession of 23 properties have already been launched, and 18 concessions have been awarded, for a total private investment of 138.6 million euros and rents of around 2.4 million euros. The new hotel unit is scheduled to start operating in 2024.
Recently created, the company Soft Time – Unipessoal, Lda was incorporated in March 2019, has its headquarters in the municipality of Cartaxo, where it carries out business and management consulting activities.
