mountain

PENA’S PALACE

The Pena’s palace is the most notable and complex example of romanticism of the Portuguese architecture and is situated in one of many peaks of Sintra’s mountain. In 1840, the king D. Fernando II order the reconstruction and amplification of the Pena’s Palace (It took 47 years to finish), and under the palace  their were the vestiges of the ancient Monastery “da Nossa Senhora da Pena”, that was built in 1503 and it was acquired by D. Fernando II de Saxe Coburgo-Gortha, D. Maria II`s husband, in 1838/39. We should point out that inside of the monastery was the retable renaissantist made by Nicolau Chanterene and very well worked furniture. When the king order the construction of  Pena`s Palace, had the precaution of preserving the main part of the small convent “dos frades jerónimos”, to be more exactly, the church and the Monastery that is decorated with “Mudéjare” wall tiles. The construction director, Eschewege Baron stand by the revivalist intentions of the king, building around the reconstructed ruins a magnificent “pastien” inspired in the palaces and the castles of Baviera. Extremely fantastic, the architectonic factory of Pena is inspired in the «motives» Moorish, gothic and manuelinos of the Portuguese art, as was well as the Wagneriano of the Schinkel castles in Centre Europe. Of the ancient convent it was preserved the Monastery Manuelino and in the chapel a famous retable renaissantist of the sculptor Nicolau Chanterene.

PENINHA

It`s a “casteled” whole, on the 485 m high with a small chapter, Nossa Senhora da Pena`s, of the end of the XVII century, which is covered by glittering tiles of 1711, blue and white and historied.

The main chapel owns a Barroc retable and the walls integraly covered by florentine mosaics.

The pulpit has a lot of scriptings, documenting the sucessive pilgrim generations that have passed there. Near the chapel we can see a small Romantic-revivalist palace of 1918, imitating a small castle.

The most ancient historic reference to Peninha indicates that it was the resting place of D. Pêro Pais, the second lieutenent of D.Afonso Henriques, after having deserted from the court and having chosen a penitence life, even though we are not sure of this fact.

The centuries have passed by and the place became a pilgrimage centre.

All this due to the legend of the apparition of Nossa Senhora da Peninha to a speechless sheperd, which started chattering, in the reign of D.João III.

Whith the people attracted to the place, they wanted to take the image of Nossa Senhora to S. Saturnino`s chapel but it always came back to his original place, what leaded to the construction of a primitive shelter, which as evoluted to what it is now.

Time discouraged devotion but it didn`t let pilgrimage disappear, which happens on the second week of May, being the most occidental pilgrimage of Europe.

It is also a wonderful belvedere, where we can see from the Espichel promontory to Ericeira, passing by Lisbon, Cascais, Guincho, Roca`s promontory...

Moorish Castle

It’s foundation remind us to the visigotic period, even if the first documental proofs report already to the full muçulman occupation perhaps during the  8Th century haven been  edified by the Moorish  in the 8 Th or 9 Th century. This castle is placed in two mills of the mountain, from where we can enjoy a generous view.

In 1103, the Lion King, D. Afonso VI,  took Sintra from the muçulman. Sixteen hears passed after the recover of sarracens, the Norwich prince Sigurd, backed the Mourish Castle but this wasn’t the unique incident that happened because by that time and for a short period D. Henriques possed it.    

However after the conquest of Lisbon by D.Henriques trusted the defense of the fortress to thirty garrisons, to whom were granted privileges through a chartel letter that was authorised by the king himself in 1154.

In the mean time, whith the countinuous and firm advincidenence of the crusate to the south the mourish castle began to loose it’s strategic importance. In the start of the secound dinisty, the consolidation and social stability and the kingdom reorganization, lead to the total abandone of it. In the late 1400, only some juish inhabited the castle and it surronding, that stood there, apart from the comunity, by the king’s order. However D. Manuel I extinguished the minoritary groups and, in the sequence of attitude, the castle of the moorish got depopulated by complet abandoned. The fortress felt the recentless passage of time and slowly fall ruined. A condition that gets worst with earthquake in 1755. But in the 19th century D. Fernando rent the castle and proceeded to it’s full restore (repair).

In the romantic period (about 1860) the king consorts D. Fernando II of saxe coburgo-ghota, restored (repaired), planted trees in the surrounding places and gave old medieval ruins some dignity, that makes the grade outpost in what we see today.   

MONSERRATE’S PALACE

    The name comes from a little hermitage that was built by Frei Gaspar Preto, in 1540, and was dedicated to Nossa Senhora de Monserrate. This small temple standby like a cult until the beginning  of the XVIII century, that was the time when  was  voted its abandonment.

    In 1718, Caetano de Melo e Castro (commentator of Ordem de Cristo and  vice-king of India) was designated as the successor of all of the lands belonging to the Monserrate's Farm for his connection between it. In 1755, with the earthquake, the farm was too much damaged, so was  rented to a rich British merchant called Gerald de Visme, who built a house that looked like a castle with neo-gothic flavour, where he lived for a short period of time. In 1794, William Beckford was its owner and made some redecoration in the house and gardens.

    Only in 1856 Monserrate is celled again for another English, rich merchant, Francis Cook, Monserrate´s Viscount. The architect responsible for the palace design was James Knowles Jr., and he the palace one of the most interesting sample of the Sintra´s Romanticism.

    It is a master peace with a oriental-romanticism spirit, with its huge, round Tower, round vault and exotic values. The palace decoration is in same ways similar to the famous Brighton pavilion (1815-1823), the Nash and the romantic and English architecture  

SETEAIS`S PALACE

Was built in the last years of XVIII century by Daniel Gildemeester who was Deutschland’s consul in Portugal. In the end of that century, the property was sold to the Marquis from Marialva. Was  D. Diogo Vito, who added to the first construction the east building as well the great triumphs arc (1802), with the real coat of arms and medallion which has the D. João VI and D. Carlota Joaquina`s effigy.

It's a neo-classic building, which has renascence's evidence and a mythological meaning with a big saloon decorated with paintings (frescos) by Pillement’s.