Palast sintra portugal
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The complex, interlocking geometric patterns, forming radial and star-like shapes, are the work of skilled Moorish artisans who remained in Portugal after the Christian reconquest.
The walls are decorated with painted frescoes that depict the Holy Ghost descending as a dove. These were the castle atop the hill range, still known as the Moorish Castle, and the castle at the site of the current palace, edified by the settlement, in the old Almedina.
This campaign builds the main façade, the central courtyard (Ala Joanina), the kitchens, the Swan Room, and the Magpie Room.
• 15th Century: The palace is the centre of royal life. This message is literally written in a Latin inscription that runs around the top of the room, which translates to: "Through their loyal services have these and other honours been earned, and must therefore be preserved."
The blue and white azulejo (ceramic tile) panels lining the walls were a later addition in the 18th century.
It is considered one of the best-preserved examples of Mudéjar (Moorish-influenced) latticework in Portugal.
These two structures have become the defining silhouette of Sintra and rise directly from the palace's vast kitchens.
Built during the 15th-century campaign of King João I, the kitchens were a central and vital part of the palace's design. It was created to be a cool and relaxing space for the court, offering a refreshing escape from the region's hot summers.
Its defining feature is the gurgling central fountain.
In all likelihood, the first building was constructed in around the 10th or 11th century when Sintra was under Moorish rule.
Across the building is a pillory, whose origins go back to the 16th century.
Then comes the Magpies Room, with a Renaissance fireplace made of marble and a ceiling divided into 136 triangular panels depicting magpies.
That’s followed by the Central Courtyard, with a twisted column at the center and faced by the rococo “Grotto of the Baths,” completely covered in tile panels and stucco ornamentation representing the “Creation of the World,” the four seasons, and mythological themes. The ceiling is decorated with 136 individual paintings of magpies, one for each lady of the court at the time.
How to Get to the Sintra National Palace
The Sintra National Palace is located about a 10-minute walk from the train station, down the scenic road known as Volta do Duche.
From the terrace in the back is a view over Sintra, crowned by the Moorish Castle. This work to modify, expand, and improve the palace determined its outline.
The Moorish palace
The town citadel
The most significant event after the reign of King Manuel was the captivity of a king without a throne, King Afonso VI, an episode which brought an intense period of royal presence to an end.
The Sintra National Palace was classified as a monument in 1910, and is part of Sintra's Cultural Landscape, classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1995.
In 2013 it became part of the Network of European Royal Residences.
• 1676–1683: The palace serves as a royal prison for the mentally unstable King Afonso VI, who is confined to a room by his brother, Pedro II, until his death.
• 1755: The palace survives the great Lisbon earthquake but is damaged.
While its Gothic exterior may seem plain compared to other Sintra sights, this building was the most continuously inhabited royal home in the country, a favoured residence for monarchs for over 500 years.
Inside, the plain Gothic façade gives way to a sequence of extraordinary staterooms. The Queen allied with Pedro, claiming the king was impotent and having their marriage annulled.
It is the most accessible of the main attractions, requiring only a pleasant 15 to 20-minute walk from the train station.
The palace is open daily from 09:30 to 18:30, with the last admission and ticket purchase at 18:00.
An adult ticket costs €13, with reduced prices of €10 for youths (ages 6-17) and seniors (over 65). It was at this time that the most grandiose room, the “Sala dos Brasões” (“Coat-of-Arms Room”), was built, which later, in the 18th century, was lined with several extraordinary tile panels depicting bucolic and hunting scenes.
This space was a feat of engineering, built on an immense scale to roast game and prepare banquets for the entire royal court.
Palácio Nacional Tourist Information
The palace is conveniently located in the main square of Sintra's historic centre (Sintra Vila) and is impossible to miss. The proximity to the capital, the privileged climate, the landscape, the abundance of food and hunting conditions favoured Sintra as a refuge from Court during the summer months.
King Dinis (reigned 1279-1325) was probably the first monarch to take an interest in the Palace of Sintra, once the borders of Portuguese territory had been defined.
Its kitchen's gigantic 33m(108ft)-high conical chimneys, added in the 1300s, are Sintra icons, while much of the interior and the windows on the façade date from a later period, the early 1500s, when King Manuel I decided to beautify the building.
The grandiose Coat-of-Arms Room
Another highlight is the tile-covered Swans Hall, with a ceiling from the late 1500s painted with the swans that gave it its name.