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Portugal Nixes Claim Monty Python Star's Film Harmed Convent

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Terry Gilliam performs on the closing night of 'Monty Python Live (Mostly)' at The O2 Arena on July 20, 2014 in London, England.  (Photo: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)

Portuguese authorities have rejected a television program’s claims that one of the country’s most cherished historic monuments was damaged during the shooting of a film by director and former Monty Python star Terry Gilliam.

The General-Directorate for Heritage says an investigation has found that the 12th-century Convent of Christ suffered only “insignificant” damage during a recent location shoot for The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. The report published Monday said a program by public broadcaster RTP alleging wider damage “lacked rigor and revealed a lack of scientific knowledge.”

Gilliam has previously called the allegations “ignorant nonsense.”

The convent was a stronghold of the Knights Templar, a Christian military order founded in 1119, and is classified as a World Heritage site by UNESCO.

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