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PORTUGAL Quinta da Regaleira estate in Sintra
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Quinta da Regaleira is an estate located near the historic center of Sintra, Portugal. It is classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO within the Cultural Landscape of Sintra . • Along with the other palaces in the area such as the Quinta do Relógio, Pena, Monserrate and Seteais palaces, it is considered one of the principal tourist attractions of Sintra. • The land that is now Quinta da Regaleira had many owners over the years. Finally it was acquired by the Sintra Town Council in 1997. Extensive restoration efforts were promptly initiated throughout the estate. It finally opened to the public in June 1998 and began hosting cultural events. In August of that same year, the Portuguese Ministry of Culture classified the estate as public interest property . • The property consists of a romantic palace and chapel, and a luxurious park that features lakes, grottoes, wells, benches, fountains, and a vast array of exquisite constructions. • The facade of the palace is characterized by exuberantly Gothic pinnacles, gargoyles, capitals, and an impressive octagonal tower. • The chapel is a Roman Catholic Chapel, and stands in front of the palace's main facade. Its architecture is akin to the palace's. • Much of the four hectares of land in the surrounding estate consists of a densely treed park lined with myriad roads and footpaths. The woods are neatly arranged in the lower parts of the estate, but are left wild and disorganized in the upper parts. Decorative, symbolic, and lively structures can be found throughout the park. • The park also contains an extensive and enigmatic system of tunnels, which have multiple entry points that include: grottoes, the chapel, Waterfall Lake, and Leda's Cave, which lies beneath the Regaleira Tower. The Initiation Well connects to other tunnels via a series of underground walkways. • The Initiation Wells are two wells on the property that better resemble underground towers lined with stairs. These wells never served as water sources. Instead, they were used for ceremonial purposes that included Tarot initiation rites. The tunnels described above connect these wells to one another, in addition to various caves and other monuments located around the park. • Of the two wells, the larger one contains a 27-meter spiral staircase with several small landings. The spacing of these landings, combined with the number of steps in the stairs, are linked to Tarot mysticism. The smaller well contains straight stairs that connect a series of ring-shaped floors to one another. This well is also called the 'Unfinished Well'. A structure similar to these wells can be found in the Pozzo di S. Patrizio in Italy. • Bodies of water can be found in several places in the park. Two artificial lakes and several fountains were added later. One of the most interesting and extravagant among them is the Aquarium, built as if it were naturally embedded in a large boulder. It was once considered the most important naturalist property in Regaleira. However, the Aquarium is no longer used and is poorly maintained. • http://www.regaleira.pt • ___________________________________________ • SINTRA is a municipality and town in the Grande Lisboa subregion of Portugal, and considered part of the Portuguese Riviera. Sintra is known for its many 19th-century Romantic architectural monuments, which has resulted in its classification as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has become a major tourist centre, visited by many day-trippers who travel from the capital Lisbon. • In addition to the Sintra Mountains and Sintra-Cascais Nature Park, the parishes of the town of Sintra are dotted with royal retreats, estates, castles and other buildings, including the medieval Castelo dos Mouros, the Pena National Palace and the Sintra National Palace. • June 20, 2017
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