The Sintra National Palace

Sintra, Portugal

This is the best preserved medieval Royal Palace in Portugal, having been inhabited almost continually from the early 15th century to the late 19th century and is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Sintra Palace began in the Moorish Al-Andalus era in the 8th century. Nothing built during Moorish rule or during the reign of the first Portuguese kings survives. The earliest surviving part of the palace is the Royal Chapel, possibly built during the early 14th century. Much of the palace dates from the times of King John I who sponsored a major building campaign starting around 1415.

Pictures below include (but are not limited to) the following:

• The Swann's Room (Sala dos Cisnes) because of the swans painted on the ceiling.

• Pegas' Room (Sala das Pegas); the magpies (pegas) painted on the ceiling hold the emblem por bem (for honour) in their beaks. This relates to the story that the king John I was caught in the act of kissing a lady-in-waiting by his queen Philippa of Lancaster. To put a stop to all the gossip he had the room decorated with as many magpies as there were women at the court.     Side note:  TOO funny, if insulting. My private opinion is that the King deserved everything he got - it wasn't as if he wasn't caught red handed.  

• Coats-of-Arms Room (Sala dos Brasões) (1515–1518), with a magnificent wooden coffered domed ceiling decorated with 72 coats of arms of the King and the main Portuguese noble families. The coat-of-arms of the Tavora family was, however, removed after their conspiracy against king Joseph I. 

King Manuel also redecorated most rooms of the Palace with tiles specially made for him in Seville which lend an Arab feeling to many of the rooms inside.

There are wonderful tiling in the rooms – many of which hold historical clues as to how life was lived in the past.... can you see in the picture of the couples dancing? See how the one young man does not actually touch the hand of the fair maiden next to him. That would show he was a single man and it would not be proper to touch the hand of a lady until married or betrothed. 

See the colossal chimney (there are two, only one seen in my picture) and the kitchen below.

What to say? The National Palace is set in a breathtakingly beautiful setting. I can see why it would be frequented for so long by Portugal's royalty. 

As usual - click on the pictures for best viewing.