**3. Final Remarks**

Among the statues of Afonso Henriques, the copies of Sancho I's seals, the tombs of monarchs sculpted with scenes of their lives and the tomb covers displaying sculptures, the iconography is not more eloquent than the existing documentation in describing the process of coronation rituals and its valued insignias between the 12th and 14th centuries. Surely, the constant presence of o ffensive or defensive weapons that these monarchs are represented with make it clear that the emphasis is on the warrior character of the various monarchs, and that is obviously significant. This feature is also something that brings closer the various iconographies of peninsular monarchs from various kingdoms during the centuries marked by territorial conquest by Muslims. If we look at a legendary/literary tradition associated with the lives of some kings or military heroes, from Antiquity to the Middle Ages (it is enough that we remember the famous and named swords of Alexander the Great, or King Arthur, for example), so that it is not unreasonable to think of the constant and so significant presence of the sword as an element with a "divine" character and to associate that element with the divine origin of the royal power of the peninsular kings, namely the Portuguese kings and the sacrality of the royal authority (this is just another question that remains open, but on which it will be worth reflecting).

In regard to the consecration rituals of the monarchs' respective queens, documentation is entirely absent and the iconography, be it in tombs or on seals, is limited to the use of the crown as a main regal insignia. All other attributes make reference to their virtues and some aspects of their biography.

We learnt, mainly through the research of José Mattoso and Aires do Nascimento, that the coronation ceremonies of Portuguese kings followed principles and customs rooted in Visigoth monarchies (similarly, Hispanic or Mozarab liturgical rites from those times survived for a long time). However, they also included customs later introduced and adapted in western Christian kingdoms, particularly in France where manuscripts specific to these ceremonies were produced in large quantities. Some of these manuscripts were very useful and clear, containing numerous illuminations that visually translated the consecration words in the *Ordos.* In Portugal, manuscripts where images played such a crucial role were either non-existent or have entirely disappeared with the passing of time. Thus, in addition to the previously mentioned texts, we value any bit of information that material culture can provide, in order to help us understand a reality pertaining to the ecclesiastical spaces in the kingdom (cathedrals and monasteries), between the 12th/early 13th centuries and the late 14th centuries. These are parts of material culture that are, however, deeply marked by a chiaroscuro of absences.

**Funding:** This research was funded by Fundação para Ciência e a Tecnologia/Ministèrio da Ciência e Tecnologia (2012–2017).

**Conflicts of Interest:** The author declares no conflict of interest.
