Convento dos Capuchos Sintra

The ruins of the Convento dos Capuchos Sintra

The Convento dos Capuchos Sintra , originally the Convent of Santa Cruz, is a former Franciscan monastery (OFM) in Sintra , Portugal . It is located in the Sintra-Cascais National Park , around five kilometers southwest of Sintra.

history

The monastery was founded in 1560 by Alvaro de Castro, son of the Viceroy of India, João de Castro . Its history is largely in the dark.

Legend has it that João de Castro got lost while hunting and lay down under a rock to sleep. In a vision he had received the order to found a monastery there. He died before this project was completed, but his son Alvaro founded the monastery at his father's request. The first eight friars are said to have lived there, according to legend, a life of penance for over 100 years.

After the abolition of all religious male orders in Portugal (1834) the friars were forced to leave the place. It came into the possession of the Vizconde de Monserrat and later fell to the Portuguese state. Some of the buildings are well preserved. Restoration work has been going on since the 1930s. Further extensive maintenance work and further archaeological development are planned for the coming years.

The monastery is located deep in the forest. The cells were very spartan and partly carved into the rock; some were covered with cork .