Palácio Nacional de Sintra
The Palácio Nacional de Sintra (also called Palácio Nacional or Paço Real or Palácio da Vila , in German National Palace of Sintra ) is a former royal palace.
History
The palace, which was mentioned as the Moorish Alcázar as early as the 10th century during the Muslim period , is located in the Portuguese city of Sintra and is Sintra's landmark with its large conical chimney chimneys, which can be seen from afar above the large palace kitchen. It was a royal summer residence from the 14th to the 20th century.
Building
King Diniz had his apartments built on the foundations of the Moorish Palace and João I began building his summer residence at the beginning of the 15th century. Manuel I had this building expanded and changed, under João III. the rooms were furnished in the Renaissance style in the 16th century. The distinctive, conical kitchen chimneys, visible from afar, were only built after the earthquake of 1755. The parts of the palace destroyed by the earthquake were largely reconstructed in the old style. In the 19th century, the interior was completely redesigned. Today, the building presents itself as a cross-section through centuries of Portuguese style history. The art of tiles deserves special attention because the development from the Moorish origins to the majolica technique of the 16th century is visible.
Of the numerous royal halls, three are particularly noteworthy:
The Swans' Hall extends along the main front on the first floor. It is closed off by a trough-shaped wooden ceiling, the octagonal coffers of which are painted with 72 white swans - a homage to João I to his wife Philippa of Lancaster .
The ceiling in the Magpie Hall is adorned with 136 magpies. Each carries a banner with the words "por bem" in its beak. A story told to this day says that 136 “magpie-like” gossiping maids told the queen that her husband had kissed a lady-in-waiting - whereupon the latter is said to have offered the excuse “no offense”.
The imposing coat of arms hall is adorned with an octagonal, wood-paneled dome ceiling. The coats of arms of the eight children of Manuel I are grouped around the royal coat of arms in the middle, as well as the coats of arms of 72 royal families, whose position in the hierarchy is reflected in the distance to the royal coat of arms.
The palace is now owned by the Portuguese state and is used for tourist and cultural purposes. As part of the Sintra cultural landscape, the Palácio Nacional de Sintra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Portugal .
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Burmeister, Hans-Peter .: Portugal: Roman villas, Manueline monasteries and museums of modernism between Lisbon and Porto, Minho and Algarve . In: Dumont art travel guide . DuMont-Buchverl, Cologne 2001, ISBN 3-7701-4416-3 .
Web links
- Cultural Landscape of Sintra. In: website whc.unesco.org. UNESCO , accessed April 4, 2013 .
Coordinates: 38 ° 47'51.7 " N , 9 ° 23'26.7" W.