National Palace of Sintra
The National Palace of Sintra is difficult to confuse with any other building. Alternative name ─ Village Palace, history says that from the 15th to the end of the 19th century, Portuguese monarchs lived in this place. It is the crown jewel of a hilly town in western Portugal and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
History of the National Palace of Sintra
It is a snow-white structure with tall, elongated and smooth twin cones. Most people believe that this building is better preserved than any other structure in Portugal. This is explained simply: the National Palace of Sintra gradually began to be inhabited from the 16th to the 19th centuries. The history of this place dates back to the Moorish era. In the 8th century, two castles were built in Sintra. The first of them is the famous Moorish castle, and the second castle was located below the Moorish castle. The Moorish rulers of the region lived in the second castle; the building served as their residence.
In the 12th century, Sintra was captured by King Alfonso Enrique. He took the lower palace for himself personally. In the XV-XVI centuries the building was rebuilt several times. Of course, this was noticeably imprinted on the elements of Gothic, Manueline, Moorish and Mudejar styles. Today, the National Palace of Sintra bears little resemblance to its original appearance. What was preserved in the palace most likely dates back to the beginning of the 14th century.
Features of the National Palace of Sintra
A lot has been preserved in the interior of the building. Everything that can now be seen there dates back to the beginning of the 15th century. We are talking about the Swan Hall, made in the Manueline style. The second stage of construction dates back to the 15th-16th centuries, when King Manuel I was in power. During the reign of this monarch, Mudejar was built in all its splendor. Under the precise direction of the king, the Armorial Hall was built with a stunning wooden ceiling. It perfectly fits 72 coats of arms of the royal family and other respected families of Portugal.
Time passed, and new personalities took power. Each of them made their own adjustments to the interior of the National Palace of Sintra. Similar manipulations concerned furniture, paintings and other decorative elements.
In 1755, Sintra was hit by an earthquake. As a result of the natural disaster, many elements of the architecture of the National Palace were significantly damaged. Fortunately, everything that was damaged was restored. In addition, in 1940, Raul Lino developed a project for the restoration of the National Palace of Sintra. He managed to restore the former grandeur of the place by placing antique furniture inside, taken from other palaces and returning the mosaics to their original appearance.
