Monseratte Palace is another very important landmark of Sintra. Located north of Lisbon with stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean. With its appearance and architecture, together with the landscaped park, it represents a precious jewel of Sintra.
According to historical sources, Alfonso Henriques built a chapel in the part of the Virgin Mary after the reconquest of Sintra. On these ruins, a new chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Montserrat was built in 1540. The Mello e Castro family took over the property in the 17th century, and after the catastrophic earthquake that struck Lisbon in 1755, the farmhouse was abandoned and unused.
An English merchant built a neo-Gothic house on the ruins of the chapel, and then leased the property to William Thomas Beckford, who designed the garden. He was a famous English writer who used this place to hide from the scandal when it was revealed in Puritan Britain that he was a homosexual.
Lord Byron visited this estate and it is believed that he lived here for a period, although the place was in ruins, but the place inspired and influenced him to mention the unusual beauty of the place - Montserrat in the pilgrimage of Childe Harold. This greatly influenced foreign tourists and attracted world travelers.
Duke and explorer of Montserrat, Francis Cook bought the estate in 1863, before renting it. He worked with architect James Knowles who upgraded the palace. That is how the palace became the summer residence of the Cook family.
The style direction of the palace is characterized as romanticism and the Hungarian revival of Mudejar with neo-Gothic elements. The pillars are made of pink marble, while the arches are made in the Gothic style. The predominant color is gold-cream, and the palace itself is done with a lot of details. The refraction of light in the interior is amazing.
The surroundings of the palace are a beautifully landscaped park that was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. There are over 2500 plants.
The palace was handed over to the ownership of the state of Portugal in 1949, and the building was declared a building of public interest in 1978.
This magnificent palace appeared on the movie screen in 1996 in the mini-series Gulliver's Travels
Ticket price for Moseratte Palace
Regular ticket price 7.60 €
Reduced ticket price: 6.30 € - for young people from 6 to 17 years and for pensioners
Author of the text:
Maja Glavaš, Bachelor with Honours in Communicology. Works in Tourism.
Contact: [email protected]; instagram: travel_europe1
Photo by Håkon Åreskjold on Unsplash
