Curious Sintra
City of Sintra is an hour's drive from the city center and is a great agglomeration of Lisbon. Things are different Sintra mystery, causing a huge interest of foreign tourists. Where else can you find in close proximity to each other just as historically significant objects! Fancy the National Palace, perched on a high rock Castle Pena (Palacio da Pena), a crumbling castle of the Moors (Sintra), a mysterious mansion Quinta da Regaleyra (Quinta da Regaleira), where you can barely lift the veil on the secrets of the Masons.
Sintra - a suburb of Lisbon, but has a completely different climate. This town is perfect for a relaxing summer vacation. The proximity of the ocean and the protection of mountain ranges provide a little cool, a little windy, but fairly humid weather, even hot summer. Due to this fact the royal family of Portugal in the XV century have chosen the small town of Sintra his summer residence.
National Palace
National Palace of the royal family took the city center. Its unofficial name - Village Palace. Photos illustrate the originality of the palace buildings. Dominated by the huge conical chimneys. Many of the attractions of Sintra included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Site. Thanks to the excavations carried out revealed that in the XII century on the future site of the National Palace of living rulers of Mauritania. With the XV to the XIX century until the National Palace was the summer royal residence, it has been repeatedly rebuilt. Almost every governor thought it his duty to contribute. Well-preserved evidence of age Joao I, for example: Arabic hall, Swans, Hall Forty. Guided tours of the Palace Chapel era Dinis I, the Armorial Hall, Renaissance porch with colorful tiles Seville era of Manuel I.
Castle of the Moors
Sintra is of interest not only for curious tourists, but also for historians, art historians. Up to now the Castle of the Moors (IX-X centuries). Reached dilapidated. Portugal has repeatedly been attacked by the neighbors, who hastened to assert his supremacy by building castles and fortifications. Castle of the Moors - a vivid testimony of architect and engineering ingenuity of the ancient builders, who successfully used the features of the landscape, utilizing the ridge as the basis for the northern walls. The perimeter wall is 450 meters. The area of the castle is divided into two parts. Sintra has always been famous for the fertility of the soil, so all the invaders tried seriously to settle on its lands, and the locks used for protection. When the threat has virtually disappeared enemy raids in the town of Sintra (XV century), the Moorish castle was gradually abandoned its inhabitants. King Fernando II in the middle of the XIX century started a partial restoration of the ruins of a medieval romance. Now it is surprising harmony of ancient buildings, mountain scenery, pristine forests.
Castle Pen
On the other hand the ruins of the Castle of the Moors until the XIX century was abandoned, seriously ruined monastery, which has attracted the attention of the royal family. Portugal experienced the era of romanticism, so remnants of the monastery on the site of the boil. The castle was erected romantic Pena (Palacio da Pena). However, the royal family did not wait until construction is complete without seeing the castle in all its splendor.
Due to the fact that Cintra has not experienced serious upheaval during the two world wars of the twentieth century, the Castle of Pena perfectly preserved to this day. The magnificent architecture, a truly royal interior, including a luxurious finish, exclusive furniture, leave no one indifferent.
Castle of Pena (Palacio da Pena) is divided into two main parts - the restored ruins of an ancient monastery, the new building. The Royal family has chosen for his residence the old part, which did not let strangers. Even in those days the king resided constrained - among the narrow corridors, rooms with low ceilings, where everything was cluttered with furniture, bedding and sleeping in the sitting, not wanting to be like the dead in coffins. The new part of the Palacio da Pena is a free luxury apartments in the spirit of romanticism with elements of medieval, Gothic and Moorish styles. For registration of rooms used by numerous gifts and trophies from the overseas colonies, including America and India. The castle is famous foam by the fact that they spent their last night of King Carlos I, King became the latest state adult Portugal, with the exception of his infant son, Manuel. Manuel Board held under the regency of his mother - the Queen Amelia until the bourgeois revolution of 1910 that toppled the monarchy.
The estate Quinta da Regaleyra
The mysterious estate Quinta da Regaleyra was built on the idea of the Free Mason. Owner of Quinta da Regaleyra (Quinta da Regaleira) was a millionaire, Antonio Carvalho Monteiro, who made his fortune through successful business in Brazil, where he traded coffee, precious stones and metals. The name of the estate Quinta da Regaleyra appeared due to the fact that Monteiro bought four hectares of land with the house of the Baron de Regaleyra. In his estate millionaire with an extremely violent fantasies embodied absolutely incredible and incomprehensible to most contemporaries plans. Paul Chapel Quinta da Regaleira mosaic adorns the emblem of the Order of the Cross of Christ, who became the successor terrible Templars. The owner of Quinta da Regaleyra never concealed his membership in the Order of the mysterious, and maybe he played his contemporaries. It is still not discovered documentary evidence of his belonging to the Masonic Order.
To learn more about the estate of Quinta da Regaleyra, we must be prepared in advance. Then it will be understood by Masonic symbols, which occurs at every step. It is interesting that the Catholic Portugal loyal to the eccentricities of a millionaire, after the death of which change owners several time the estate passed into the possession of the municipality of Sintra.
Many tourists visit the Sintra specifically to join the secrets of the Freemasons, see the Moorish Castle, Pena Castle, the National Palace the royal dynasty. It is no coincidence sights of Sintra, which is astonishing photos of our contemporaries, became famous throughout the world.
