NATIONAL PALACE OF SINTRA

The Arab geographer Al-Bakrî mentions two extremely solid-looking castles in Sintra in the 11th century. These refer to the Castle that overlooks the town and the National Palace in the centre. The Palace was home to the Almoravid governors of the Taifa of Lisbon. Following the conquests of Santarém and Lisbon in 1147 by Alfonso Henrique's armies, the Palace and town fell into Christian hands. However, Moorish artisans continued to maintain the upkeep of the Palace.

Following the Christian conquest, Lisbon became the headquarters of power. Sintra, with its proximity to the capital, mild climate and good hunting grounds, became the summer retreat for the early Portuguese royals. King Dinis reigned from 1279 to 1325 and ordered his private quarters moved to the highest room in the Palace next to the Palatine Chapel. This chapel still survives today and is one of the oldest parts of the Palace.

A period of substantial transformations and enlargements dates from the period of King João I started in 1415. Royal apartments surrounded the Central Patio or Ala Joanina. Other additions included the The Swan Room (Sala dos Cisnes), built in the Manueline style, with many swans painted on the ceiling. The Magpie Room (Sala das Pegas); the magpies (pegas), painted on the ceiling and the frieze, hold the emblem "por bem" (for honour) in their beaks, and the Arab Room (Sala dos Árabes). The most notable external feature of the Palace is its main façade. It was constructed in the time of King João with its entrance arches and mullioned windows in Manueline and Moorish styles (called ajimezes) along with the distinctive conical chimneys of the kitchen.

The next significant construction period occurred during the reign of Dom Manuel I. He ruled Portugal from 1497 until 1530, the earliest years of Portugal's Age of Discovery. King Manuel used the wealth gained from Portugal's first expeditions for his building campaigns and spawned a new architectural style - Manueline. This confidant style encompassed Gothic, Renaissance and Mudéjar influences and exhibited the country's new worldly status and importance.

Dom Manuel ordered the construction of the so-called Ala Manuelina (Manuel's Wing), to the right of the main façade, decorated with typical Manueline windows. He also built the Coats-of-Arms Room (Sala dos Brasões) (1515–1518), with a magnificent wooden coffered domed ceiling decorated with 72 coats-of-arms of Portuguese noble families.

Over the subsequent centuries, very little changed in the Palace. The most significant event was the imprisonment of the mentally unstable King Afonso VI. After being deposed by his brother Pedro II in 1676, Afonso was confined to the Palace until his death in 1683. During the 1755 earthquake, the tower over the Arab Room collapsed. At the end of the 18th century, Queen Maria I redecorated and redivided the rooms of the Ala Manuelina.

During the 19th century, Sintra became a fashionable spot for royalty and the Palace of Sintra enjoyed new favour. Queen Amélia, in particular, was very fond of the Palace and made several drawings of it. After the foundation of the Republic in 1910, it became a national monument. The architect Raul Lino restored the Palace during the 1940s. Lino aimed to return it to its former splendour by adding old furniture from other Palaces and restoring the tile panels. The National Sintra Palace has been an important historical tourist attraction ever since.

Opening Times
Daily: 09h30 - 18h30, (last admission at 18h00)