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  atlas and axis: the first two vertebras (C1,C2) of the vertebral column which permit the lateral (axis) and the longitudinal (atlas) rotation of the head. |
timetable
Monday to Saturday from
7h00 to 22h00
Sunday from
7h to 13h
booking regime
| PLACES OF INTEREST | NEARBY LOCALITIES | HISTÓRIA |
pick a place to visit |
know more about what's around | choose a theme |
| palácio da pena | cascais | pre-history |
| castelo dos mouros | ericeira | roman sintra |
| quinta da regaleira | mafra | arab sintra |
| convento dos capuchos | santa cruz (torres vedras) | medieval sintra |
| parque da pena | lisboa | romantism |
| peninha | azenhas do mar | sintra's coat of arms |
| monserrate | praia das maçãs | |
| palácio da vila | praia da adraga | |
| vila de sintra | praia da aguda | |
| cabo da roca | praia grande |
PLACES OF INTEREST
"When the earthquake of 1755 devastated Lisbon and the surrounding region, the convent of the Pena fell in ruins. But the Chapel, with magnificent retable in marble and alabaster attributed to Nicolau Chanterene, remained unbroken. These ruins, on top of the steep mountains of Sintra, had astonished the young prince D. Fernando. In 1838, he decided to acquire the old convent, all of the surrounding fences, the nearby Castelo dos Mouros (Castle of Moors) and some other quintas (villas)."
"The Palace, itself, has a profusion of styles and the volume movement has an unusual architecture. The mixture of eclectic styles that exhibits (neo-Gothic, neo-Manueline, neo-Islamic, neo-Renaissance, among other styles) and the references to prominent Portuguese buildings (such as the Belém Tower) are all intentional (in the 19th century people used to like the exotic and romantic). The set of the diverse sentry boxes, of the most varied forms and shapes, the uneven terraces covered with tiles in neo-Hispanic-Arabic style, are remarkable elements. The notable figure of the Triton symbolizes, according to some authors, the Creation of the World." *
Links:
Wikipedia article on Palácio da Pena
(english)
Portuguese
Institute for Architectural Heritage (english)
"Originally, the Castle of Sintra
was built by the
Moors,
possibly between the 9th and 10th centuries. Arab
chronicles depict the Sintra region as being very rich
in cultivated fields. Its castle was one of the most
important in the surroundings. In
1147, after the
conquest of Lisbon
by
King Afonso Henriques,
the Moorish
garrison
of the castle surrendered to the Christians without
resistance. Afonso Henriques promoted the development of
the region by granting a
foral
(letter of feudal rights) to the inhabitants of Sintra
and its castle in 1154. During the reign of
King Sancho I
the castle was repaired, as well as the
romanesque
Church of Saint Peter, (Igreja de São Pedro) inside its
walls.
The decline of the castle began in
the 15th century, when most of the population settled
downhill, in today's Old Village of Sintra. In the 16th
century the castle lost all military relevance and was
abandoned by its last inhabitants, the
Jews
from Sintra." *
Links:
Wikipedia article
on Castelo dos Mouros (english)
General
Bureau for National Buildings and Monuments (Portuguese)
Portuguese Institute for
Architectural Heritage (english)
"The Palácio da Regaleira is the
main building and most common name for the Quinta da
Regaleira ("Estate of the Regaleira"). It is also known
as the "Palace of Monteiro the Millionaire," from the
nickname for its first owner,
António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro.
The
palace is located near the hills surrounding the
historic center of
Sintra,
Portugal,
and is classified as a
World Heritage Site
by
UNESCO.
Carvalho Monteiro, with the assistance of
italian
architect
Luigi Manini,
designed the 4-hectare estate with the palace, luxurious
gardens, lakes, grottoes and enigmatic buildings,
believed to hide symbols related to
alchemy,
Masonry,
the
Knights Templars,
and the
Rosicrucians.
The architecture of the estate evokes
Roman,
Gothic,
Renaissance
and
Manueline
architectural styles." *
Links:
Wikipedia article
on Quinta da Regaleira (english)
"The Convent of Capuchos of Sintra is one of the many examples of 16th century religious piety in Portugal and became known for the extreme simplicity of its construction. Built on a very small scale with cells and dormitory lined with cork and a chapel whose vault is formed by rock itself, motivated William Beckford who, in 1787 recounted his visit to the Convent, to affirm: "...we followed for several miles a narrow tract over the brow of savage and desolated eminences to the Cork Convent which answered exactly, at the first glance we caught of it, the picture one represents to oneself of the settlement of Robinson Crusoe" (William Beckford e Portugal. A viagem de uma paixão. Exhibition Catalogue. Palácio Nacional de Queluz, 1987, p. 159)." **
Links:
Website on Sintra's parks (english)
Portuguese Institute for Architectural Heritage (english)
it was sold at public auction together with the surrounding woodlands to Ferdinand of Saxe Coburg Gotha, king consort of Dona Maria II. Initially the king thought only of restoring the old coenobium (convent) but he later changes his mind and, around 1840, requests the services of the Baron of Eschwege, a German military architect who was working in Portugal as a mining engineer, to organize a project for a "New Palace" maintaining the cloisters, the 16th century chapel and some annexes. Eschwege designs a palace with frequent references to Manueline and Moorish architecture. Richard Strauss, on a visit to Sintra, described the result as being: "... the happiest day of my life. I know Italy, Sicily, Greece and Egypt and I have never seen anything as worthy as Pena. It is the most beautiful thing I have seen. This is truly the Garden of Klingsor - and there, up on high, is the Castle of the Holy Grail." **
Links:
Notable places in the Park:
The Friars Vegetable-garden or the Queen's Garden
The name is due to the fact that this is the location of the original vegetable-garden of the friars who lived in the 16th century Monastery. Nowadays it is called the Queen's Garden, because it was probably reconstructed at later date for Queen Dona Amelia.
The Manège
The Manège was used for the princes' riding lessons, for bullock fighting and as a place to keep the coaches. Around it grew magnificent Sequoias brought from North America but regrettably these were destroyed by the cyclone of 1941. Fortunately the Magnolias were spared, offering a magnificent spectacle during the flowering season.
The Saint Anthony Heights
The name derives from a circular chapel that stood here dedicated to Saint Anthony and which had belonged to the early Hieronymite Monastery. After a design by the father of Ferdinand, a viewpoint called the Temple of Columns was built there. Although today the dense vegetation of the park engulfs it, once it offered one of the best views of the Palace.
The Giant
On top of the rock conglomerate, standing on the boulder of the Tapada do Ferreira at an altitude of about 490 metres is the statue of the Giant, so-called due of its size.
The Tall Cross
This is the highest point in the Sintra Hills, reaching an altitude of 529 metres. Its name comes from the cross, erected there in the 16th century by order of the king, Dom João III. This cross, in stone with an internal iron structure, was struck by lightning several times, and was finally destroyed.
The Saint Catherine Heights
This probably was the favourite viewpoint of Queen Dona Amélia, wife of the king, Carlos I, as a seat carved in the granite rock is known as the "Seat of the Queen". The Palace and the top of the trees can be seen from here. The majority of the species that surround this viewpoint are Sessile Oak (Quercus Pyrenaica), an important part of the primitive forest of the Sintra Hills.
The Friars' Grotto
At the time that Monastery was inhabited this was one of the places used by the Hieronymite friars as a place for meditation and seclusion.
The Queen's Fern Valley
The name Queen's Fern valley was given in homage to Queen Dona Amélia. It consists of a collection of Ferns, some from Australia and New Zealand to which native Chestnut, Beech and Oak trees were added, growing alongside Asian Rhododendrons, Camellias and Maples from Japan, as well as a giant Thuya from North America.
The Bird Fountain
A pavilion erected in 1853 inspired by Arabian culture. With its octagonal base topped by a spherical dome it presents an Arabian inscription referring to the magnificence of the work of Ferdinand, comparing it to that of the king Dom Manuel I. The tiles and various neo-Moorish decorative motifs punctuate the park with exotic elements and Orientalia pertaining to the decorative grammar of Romanticism.
The Friars' Tank
Located at the top of the Camellia Garden, it is one of the rare vestiges of the time of the friars. The Camellia Garden that offers a spectacle of colour and texture during the flowering season, consists of an extraordinary collection of different varieties of this species and is also one of the few formal gardens in the Park.
The Pond Valley
Using the waterlines of the entire Park that flow towards this valley, five ornamental ponds were created and surrounded by Tree Ferns and trees of great stature. The Pond of Saint Martin, with a duck house in the shape of a small medieval tower, and the Fishing Pond, where it is said King Ferdinand caught carp, are well worth a visit. **
Website on Sintra's parks (english)
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peninha
"
Located in the top of a hill, in the heart of the Sintra mountains, the access to Ermida de Nossa Senhora da Peninha is made through the Pena Road, the one that leads to Pena National Palace. The monument was built in the 14th century, but only later became known, due to the life and deeds of the hermit Pedro da Conceição. Its architecture features baroque influences, notably in the magnificent tile panels, portraying scenes from the Virgin´s life. Visits to the chapel are subject to appointment with the Sintra Tourism Office." ***
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monserrate
"The Monserrate Palace (Portuguese: "Palácio de Monserrate") is an exotic palatial villa located near Sintra, Portugal, the traditional summer resort of the Portuguese court. It was built in 1858 for Sir Francis Cook, an English baronet created visconde de Monserrate by King Luís. Monserrate turned to an English architect, James Knowles Jr., for designs. Though its Moghul-inspired details are unique in Portugal, its eclecticism is a fine example of the Sintra Romanticism, along with other nearby palácios, such as the Pena Palace." *
Links:
Wikipedia article on Palácio de Monserrate (english)
Website about Monserrate (english)
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palácio da vila
"...located downhill, was the residence of the Moorish rulers of the region. In the 12th century, when the village was conquered by King Afonso Henriques, the King took the residence in his possession. The mixture of Gothic, Manueline and Moorish styles in the present palace is, however, mainly the result of building campaigns in the 15th and early 16th centuries." *
Links:
Wikipedia article on Palácio da Vila (english)
Website about Palácio da Vila (english)
Wikipedia media on Palácio da Vila (english)
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vila de sintra
"The town was already described in the 11th century by the Arab geographer Al-Bacr and later by the poets Luís de Camões and Lord Byron (Childe Harold's Pilgrimage - 1809). The Moors built the Castelo dos Mouros in the 8th or 9th century. When Afonso Henriques, with the aid of Crusaders, recaptured Sintra in 1147, much of the castle was destroyed. Only four square towers, the battlements, and the ruins of a Romanesque chapel survived. In 1493, Christopher Columbus sailing for the Spanish crown, was blown off course by gale force winds and fearing for the survival of his ship, spotted the Rock of Sintra. Despite the awkwardness of seeking safe harbor in Portugal, Columbus had no choice under the circumstances and sailed from there into the Port of Lisbon. In 1507, Diogo Boitac built the Hieronymite monastery of Nossa Senhora da Pena on the nearby hilltop. In 1527 king Manuel I commissioned to Nicolau Chanterene the large, white marble and alabaster altarpiece for the chapel. This retable is his finest work. In 1808, it was the site of the signing of the controversial Convention of Sintra, which ended the first French invasion of Portugal." *
Links:
Wikipedia article on Sintra (english)
Câmara Municipal de Sintra (english)
UNESCO website on Sintra (english)
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cabo da roca
"Cabo da Roca (Cape Roca) is a cape that forms the westernmost point of mainland Europe (and of mainland Portugal). It was known to the Romans as 'Promontorium Magnum' and during the Age of Sail as the Rock of Lisbon." "Poet Luís de Camões defined Cabo da Roca as the place "where the land ends and the sea begins" (Portuguese: "Onde a terra acaba e o mar começa"). Compare Cape Finisterre (literally "End of land") in Spain, Finistère in France, and Land's End in the United Kingdom." *
Links:
Wikipedia article on Cabo da Roca (english)
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NEARBY LOCALITIES
cascais
"In 1755, the great Lisbon earthquake destroyed a large portion of the village. Around 1774, the Marquis of Pombal, prime-minister of King José I, took protective measures for the commercialisation of the wine of Carcavelos and established the Royal Factory of Wool in the village, which existed until the early 19th century. During the invasion of Portugal by Napoleonic troops, in 1807, the citadel of Cascais was occupied by the French, with General Junot staying some time in the village." *
Links:
Câmara Municipal de Cascais (english)
Wikipedia article on Cascais (english)
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ericeira
"Ericeira is a parish and a fishing and seaside resort town on the west coast of Portugal, in the municipality of Mafra, about 35 km north-west of the centre of. Its name originates from "ouriceira", which derives from "Ouriço", the Portuguese name for a sea urchin." *
Links:
Ericeira Parish (portuguese)
Junta de Turismo da Ericeira (english)
Wikipedia article on Ericeira (english)
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mafra
"...It is mostly known for the sumptuous baroque style Royal Palace, which also makes it a popular destination in the Lisbon area. Built in the baroque style and reminiscent of the Spanish palace-convent El Escorial, the Mafra National Palace has also inspired Portuguese Nobel Prize laureate José Saramago to write his novel Baltasar and Blimunda (Memorial do Convento). Other points of interest around the city include the Tapada Nacional de Mafra, an enclosed wildlife and game reserve." *
Links:
Câmara Municipal de Mafra (english)
Wikipedia article on Mafra (english)
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santa cruz (torres vedras)
"...hanging over those cliffs, emerge the small balconys made of curious terraces, where from you can sight the admirable spectacle of the sea striking against the rocks, the lighthouse of the Carvoeiro Cape, the Berlengas Island, and the small town of Peniche, when the sky is limpid." ***+
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lisboa
"Lisbon was under Roman rule from 205 BC; Julius Caesar made it a municipium called Felicitas Julia. Ruled by a series of Germanic tribes from the 5th century, it was captured by Moors in the 8th century. In 1147, the Crusaders under Afonso Henriques reconquered the city for the Christians and since then it has been a major political, economic and cultural center of Portugal. Unlike most capital cities, Lisbon's status as the capital of Portugal has never been granted or confirmed officially—by statute or in written form. Its position as the capital has formed through constitutional convention, making its position as de facto capital a part of the Constitution of Portugal." *
Links:
Câmara Municipal de Lisboa (english)
Wikipedia article on Lisbon (english)
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azenhas do mar (sintra's council)
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praia das maçãs (sintra's council)
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praia da adraga (sintra's council)
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praia da aguda (sintra's council)
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praia grande (sintra's council)
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HISTORY
pre-historical sintra
The pre-historical vestiges in Sintra region are referent to the final period of the neolithic, between 4000 and 3000 b.C., corresponding to the so called Copper Age or Calcolithic. Among those vestiges, some of them with a good conservation condition, others in an advanced erosion condition, and others simply missing, we can still count some villages, a group of menhirs, and inumerous funerary monuments. Although many Sintra pre-historic monuments may reveal a disappointment in terms of visiting, their spoil can be appreciated in the Sintra’s Regional Museum, in the Portugal’s Geological Services Museum, and in the National Archeology and Ethnology Museum in Belém. ***++
►Some of those Sintra monuments are:
Anta da Estria
Anta da Pedra dos Mouros
Anta de Adrenunes
Anta de Agualva
Anta do Monte Abraão
Castro de Olelas
Dólmen da Pedra Erguida
Estação de Negrais
Estação da Penha Verde
Galeria de Carenque
Gravuras do Magoito
Menires da Barreira
Monumento da Bela Vista
Necrópole de São Martinho
Povoado de Catribana
Povoado de Santa Eufémia
Tholos da Praia das Maçãs
Tholos do Monge
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arab sintra
The conquer of the Iberian Peninsula by the muslims, has begun in the year of 711 (93 in the muslim calendar) by the command of the free Berber Tariq Ziyad, and three years later it was almost all conquered. Sintra, which was part of the Garb-al-Andaluz area, it was dependent from Lisbon, which were at the time one of the most important urban centers of the Occident of the Peninsula (maybe with a population of 50.000 habitants). Sintra was like a vegetable-plot of Lisbon, being famous specialy by it’s fruits. It’s with the muslims that the first documental references to the Village of Sintra are found, like the beauty and imaginary ones that the arab authors have made: “…it is one of the villages that is dependent from Lisbon in the Andaluz, in the proximities of the sea. It is permanently immersed in a fog that never disappears. It’s clime is healthy and it’s habitants live long. It has two castles of an extremely solidity. The village is at a mile from the sea. There in the region a water course that irrigates the plots in it’s way to the sea. The region of Sintra is one where the apples are more abundant. Those fruits reach such a thickness that some of them have four spans of circunference. The same with the pears. In Sintra’s mountain it grows wild violets. From the neighbour coast one can extract excellent ambar.” - Ibne Abde Al-Mumine Al-Himiari ***++
► Related places to visit:
Castelo
Cisterna
Palácio da Vila
►Arab Origin Toponyms (those who have an arab root and just have today small changes in that radical)
Albarraque (Albarrak = "the brilliant one" or to some other authors al-barraque, plural of al-barca = "hard soil");
Alcainça (al-kaniça = "the church");
Alcoruim ou Alcorvim (al-cairuáne = "the cayman");
Alfaquiques (alfaqueques, muslim activity that designated the ones that rescue the prisioners);
Alfouvar ( al-fauwara = "the big bubble");
Algueirão (al-guerame = "the grotto");
Almargem ( al-marge = "the meadow");
Arrabalde (arabáde = "the suburbs" );
Assafora (assahra = "prairie")
Azenha (aççania, "the noria");
Azoia (az-zavia = "the monastery");
Cacém (cacéme = "the one that divides" );
Moçaravia (muçtarabe = "the one that has turned arab");
Queluz ( qá-luz = "almond tree valley");
Mucifal ( maçfal = "the local that is beneath");
Massamá (maçama = "what is high");
Meleças ( meliça = "the empty");
Almoçageme (al-mesjide = "the mosque")
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roman sintra
It was 218 b.C. when Cneio Cornélio Cipião disembarked in Emporion commanding a powerful roman army. In the following year, his brother Púbio Cipião has joined him to share the command of the roman forces in the Iberian Peninsula. The arrive of the first romans didn’t corresponded with an conquerer intention, but only to a tactic manoeuvre in the II Punic War scenario, trying to attack the carthaginian by it’s back and sent them off of the Italic land. After Anibal’s defeat, this militar ocupation limited at the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula starts to yield to the first attempts to administrate the territory, at the same time of the progression to the north and to the occident. It’s then, when the first confrontations between romans and lusitans it gives, being the lusitans commanded by the legendary Viriato, which has opposed a big resistence to the powerful roman army. The death of the charismatic lusitan leader opened the doors to the occupation of Hispania’s occident. The first great militar campaign in what is known today as portuguese land occurred in 138 b.C. being headed by Décio Júnio Bruto. We know behalf Strabo that the roman general established his H.Q. near to the city of Morón (non identified local yet, although the fact that it was at 100 km from the Tejo’s mouth, and some think that maybe it was what is today Santarém), in the Tejo valley, and has fortified Olissipo. The city which became Portugal’s capital, had a vital strategic importance, controlling the entry in the Tejo river and working also as supplyer centre for the armies that came by sea. We can mark with some insurance the year of 138 b.C. as the year of the roman’s arrival to Sintra region. Integrated at that time in the Olissipo council, Sintra region was limited at north at the mouth of Ribeira d’Ilhas, at south by the Cabo da Roca, and prolonging to the east till Almargem do Bispo and also Negrais. This is the region denominated by Cardim Ribeiro, a specialist in Sintra roman era, as the “W” zone of the Olissipo council. This vast region, as we may state it goes beyond the actual limits of Sintra’s council, was at that time, densely populated, with many villas of large landowners type. The economy was essentialy rural, although the importance of the rich marble stone-pits, that still exist today. Due to the primitive navegability of the Lisandro river, at least till Cheleiros, which permited the export of the marble through maritime and fluvial ways, the stone-pits have contributed a lot to the evident social-economic development of the region. A special reference is needed to the Sintra Mountain, that before like today, more that an orographic accident, it had a profound symbolic meaning. It was the Mons Sacer - sacred mount - to what Varro refers to, settling the whole land as sacred. There the romans lifted many temples and sanctuaries, consecrated to the sun and the moon, cults that later had been associated with the imperial cult. ***++
►Places
Odrinhas
Ponte e calçada de Catribana
Fontanário de Armés
Vila de Santo André
Barragem de Belas
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medieval sintra
713 – The moorish, having defeat D. Rodrigo, last king of the Godos, in the battle of Guadalete in
711, arrive very quickly to the region of Sintra in 713, being headed by Tarik Ben Ziad.
1093 – D. Afonso VI de Leão e Castela conquers Sintra to the moorish, but again looses the village few time after, due to the fall of Lisbon in the hands of the Almoravids.
1108 – The Prince Sigurd, son of the King Magnus from Norway, in his way to the holy land, disembarks in the mouth of the Maçãs river and attacks the Sintra’s castle.
1109 – D. Henrique de Borgonha, lord of the Condado Portucalense and father of D. Afonso Henriques, conquers again Sintra to the moorish, being the village for few time in the hand of the christians again.
1147 – As a consequence of the Lisbon fall to the christians, Sintra surrenders to the D. Afonso Henriques troops, with no war or blood. The village passes then definitively to the hands of the christians.
1150 – Construction of the primitive church of São Martinho.
1154 – D. Afonso Henriques founds the Sintra Council, giving the charter letter to the thirty colonizers, “belonging to the most, as to the less, elevated class”, that at the time inhabited the castle. This charter, which it main intention is to make sure that never lacks soldiers to the lands that by it’s position are reputated as the more important ones in the defence and continuity of the land conquered, presents, beside the militar service, which is compensated with the isention of taxes to the knights, a set of the most variety duties and rights decided carefuly.
1156/57 – D. Afonso delivers to the Templars some good houses in the village, and many other properties in the region, among them, the Almosquer wood. D. Gualdim Pais, grand-master of the referred order, it was the first Sintra’s commander.
1189 – D. Sancho I confirms the charter letter given by D. Afonso Henriques.
1191 – D. Pero Dias, D. Afonso Henriques ensign-bearer’s, after the king’s death, asks D. Sancho I to become an hermit in São Saturnino’s chapel, in Peninha.
1255 – Regal charter letter of Colares was given by D. Afonso III to Pedro Miguel and his wife.
1261 – Sintra earns an local administration with an alcalde and two judges elected by the populars. 1267 – D. Afonso III donates the Templar’s goods to D. João Peres de Aboim.
1287 – The village passes to the Queen’s domain, by the donation of D. Dinis to the Saint Isabel Queen. From this date on, Sintra belongs to the Casa da Rainha (Queen’s House), with the exceptions of some short periods.
1301 – The São Pedro church is built by the order of D. Dinis.
1348 – The plague epedemy reaches Sintra due to the wet climate and makes a lot death in the region.
1383/85 – During the crisis of 83-85, D. Henrique Manuel de Vilhena was the lord of Sintra at the time, and took the party of Castela. The Avis Master tries to conquer the village by the arms, but a storm makes the disband of his troops.
1386 – D. João I starts the campaign to recover the Palácio da Vila, headed by the master (architect) João Garcia from Toledo.
Endings of the XIV century – It is found in the Penha Longa locality, the first jerónimo monastery in Portugal. Friar Vasco Martins, from Leiria, son of D. Vasco Martins da Cunha and D. Beatriz de Albergaria, when still young made a peregrination to Rome, and much probably it listed himself as a Tommasucio da Foligno disciple. In his returning to Portugal, he looks for a lonely place and find it in Penha Longa.
1413 – D. João I receives in the Palácio da Vila two embassors that he have sent to Sicilia with the apparent mission of signing an comercial treaty. However, the real mission of these two embassors, was to shore at Ceuta and to bring a map with the defences of the city. It was at this time when the episode of the broad beans and the sand took place in the Infantes room (the Cisnes room today), and that so much influence had in the Ceuta’s conquest, the first african conquest.
1429 – D. Isabel from Portugal, D. João I daughter, marries by proxy with Filipe, “the good one”, from Bologna. The wedding took place in Palácio da Vila, where the duque have sent a large embassy, where was included Van Eyck, who paints the portrait of the princess. He also sent many presents but what it had remained for the history are the two white swans. Therefor, D. João I ordered that in one of the rooms should be painted twenty seven swans, as many as the age of her daughter.
1432/81 – D. Afonso V came into the world at 15 of January of 1432 in the Palácio da Vila, and dies in the same place at 28 of August of 1481. Three days later, it is acclamated king D. João II, in the “Pela” game, in the Palácio da Vila.
1493 – D. João II and D. Leonor stay for eleven days in a novena in the Ermida de Nossa Senhora da Pena, from 30 of September, till 10 of October.
1499 – D.Manuel receives in the Palácio da Vila, the new that a seaway to India was found. A legend says that while hunting in the mountain, D. Manuel I sighted from a peak where existed a small chapel in honour to Nossa Senhora da Pena, the vessel of Nicolau Coelho entering the Tejo. And that way, he ordered the construction of Real Monastery of Nossa Senhora da Pena, delivering it to the São Jerónimo order.
1501 – Also in the Palácio da Vila, D. Manuel received the new of the arrival to Lisbon of the Pedro Álvares Cabral vessels, in the 31 of July. This fleat brought the discovery of a new empire: Brazil.
1503 – First construction of the Real Monastery of Nossa Senhora da Pena, almost all in wood. D. Manuel, who was already found the one in Belém, wanted to build there another hieronymite monastery.
1511 – After noticing that the peak of the mountain was always ravage buy strong storms, D. Manuel orders the construction of a coenobium, this time a stonework. ***++
►Places to visit:
Palácio da Vila
Paço de Belas
Largo de Santa Maria
Largo de São Pedro de Penaferrim
Capela de São Lázaro
Capela de São Pedro
Convento da Trindade
Túmulo dos Dois Irmãos
Parte velha da Vila
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romantism
The romantism was an european cultural movement, which emerged in the 18 century, and which influence dured till the mid 19 century. The romantic aesthetic allied the seek of the exotism to an over-developed importance of the feelings, the taste by the nature, the cult of the misticism, and the return to the past. It was in this context that the edification of the Sintra’s romantic parks took place, unique exemplars that influenced several other landscapes in europe. ***+++
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sintra’s coat of arms
The warrior action that took place in this region, since early days till the christian conquest by D. Afonso Henriques, is represented by the red field in the shield of arms, which in heraldry, the red means victories, stratagems, and wars.
The castle is represented by the tower which simbolizes the militar fortification that hold inumerous wars in it’s existence.
The importance of Sintra conquest, being this one so near to Lisbon, which permitted to D. Afonso Henriques the development of the nation, it is represented by the gold in the tower, which usually means faith and power.
The four towers above the one in gold, are the symbol of the “Vilas” (small towns). “Aldeias” (villages) have three, and “cidades” (cities) have five.
The traces of the moorish culture in Sintra are represented by the half moons on the side.
The earth and the soil whose nature have embellished with the woods and the waters, it is simbolized in the dark rocks in which the golden tower is settled. The dark in heraldry is associated with the earth and honesty. The Sintra mountain are also simbolized in the dark rocks beneath the golden tower. ***++++
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* wikipedia reference
** reference obtained on Monte da Lua company
*** reference obtained on Viajar Clix website
***+ reference obtained on Câmara Municipal de Torres Vedras, translated and adapted
***++ reference obtained on Carlos Pinheiro website, translated and adapted
***+++ reference obtained on Associação Ciência Viva, translated and adapted
***++++ reference obtained on Câmara Municipal de Sintra, translated and adapted
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