Quinta da Regaleira

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The main building of Quinta da Regaleira

Quinta da Regaleira is a property ( Portuguese quinta ) near the historic center of Sintra in Portugal . It belongs to the world heritage of UNESCO . It was built according to plans by the owner António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro and completed in 1910. Along with other castles in the area, the Quinta da Regaleira is one of the main tourist attractions of Sintra. The property consists of a main building or palace, a chapel and a spacious park with lakes, grottos , fountains, bridges, underground tunnel systems and a tennis court.

palace

The facade of the Regaleira Palace is adorned with neo-Gothic battlements, gargoyles and capitals and is vaulted by an octagonal tower. The Italian architect Luigi Manini combined different historical architectural styles, especially the Manueline . The palace has five floors (ground floor, three upper floors and a basement). On the ground floor, a number of hallways connect the living room, dining room, billiard room , balcony and several smaller rooms. On the first floor there were bedrooms and a dressing room, on the second floor Carvalho Monteiro's office and the servants' bedrooms were furnished. On the third floor there was an ironing room and access to the terrace. Finally, in the basement, next to other bedrooms, were the kitchen and storage rooms.

  • The facade of the palace

  • the main entrance

  • The terrace

  • The tower is adorned with symbols alluding to Portuguese history.

  • The fireplace in the dining room.

  • The living room.

  • One of the chimneys. The Castelo dos Mouros (left) and the Palácio Nacional da Pena (right) can be seen in the background .

chapel

The Roman Catholic Regaleira Chapel stands near the palace, whose architecture it resembles. The interior of the chapel is decorated with frescoes , stained glass windows and lush stucco work . The frescoes show Teresa of Ávila and Saint Anthony, as well as other religious representations. An armillary sphere and the cross of the Order of Christ are attached to the floor, surrounded by pentagrams . Despite its small size, the chapel has several floors.

park

Much of the property, which covers four hectares , consists of a densely forested park with numerous footpaths. In the lower parts of the property, the planting is more strictly ordered, in the higher parts, however, deliberately left more natural. There are numerous statues and smaller structures throughout the park. Their symbolism is influenced by the mysticism of Freemasonry , which Monteiro adhered to. There are two so-called fountains of initiation, which are, however, more underground towers in which you climb spiral stairs. Several tunnels connect individual elements.

  • A bay window over one of the bridges.

  • Bench between the lake and the loggia.

  • Bench between the lake and the Ibis fountain.

  • Bench between the chapel and the palace.

  • View from the bottom of the well (or rather tower) of initiation to heaven.

Numerous water systems can be found in the park: Carvalho Monteiro had two artificial lakes and several fountains built. An aquarium was built to make it look like it was embedded in a boulder. However, today it is no longer in operation and is in poor condition.

  • The ibis fountain.

  • The fountain of abundance.

  • A lake with a waterfall and a cave system behind.

  • The lake with the waterfall from above.

Web links

Commons : Quinta da Regaleira  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

BBC Film: The mysterious 'inverted tower' steeped in Templar myth (duration 5m: 12sec)

Coordinates: 38 ° 47 '46.9 "  N , 9 ° 23' 45.7"  W.