Sintra National Palace facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sintra Palace |
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Palácio de Sintra
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Palace of Sintra, also known as the "Town Palace". View from east, showing the Manueline section.
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| General information | |
| Location | Sintra, Portugal |
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| Part of | Cultural Landscape of Sintra |
| Criteria | Cultural: (ii), (iv), (v) |
| Inscription | 1995 (19th Session) |
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Portuguese National Monument
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| Type: | Non-movable |
| Criteria: | National Monument |
| Designated: | 16 June 1910 |
| Reference #: | IPA.00006135 |
The Palace of Sintra (Portuguese: Palácio de Sintra) is also known as the Town Palace (Palácio da Vila). You can find it in the town of Sintra, Portugal. Today, it is a historic house museum that you can visit.
This palace is the best-preserved medieval royal home in Portugal. Kings and queens lived here almost continuously from the early 1400s to the late 1800s. It is a very popular place for tourists. The palace is part of the cultural landscape of Sintra, which is a special UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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A Look at Sintra Palace History
How Old is Sintra Palace?
The area where Sintra Palace stands was once home to two castles during the Moorish rule. This was after the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in the 700s. One castle, the Castelo dos Mouros, is now a beautiful ruin on a high hill.
The palace we call Sintra National Palace was the home of the Islamic Moorish rulers. The first mention of it was by an Arab geographer named Al-Bacr. In the 1100s, King Afonso Henriques took over the village and the castle.
What Styles Make Up the Palace?
The palace you see today has a mix of styles. These include Gothic, Manueline, Moorish, and Mudéjar designs. Most of these styles were added when the palace was built up in the 1400s and early 1500s.
The Royal Chapel
No parts of the palace from Moorish times or the first Portuguese kings still exist. The oldest part you can see today is the Royal Chapel. It was likely built in the early 1300s during the time of King Dinis I.
The chapel floor has tiles that look like a carpet. The walls are painted with patterns that also look like tiles. These paintings show the Holy Ghost coming down as a dove. The wooden ceiling has beautiful Moorish patterns.
King John I's Palace Additions
Much of the palace was built during the time of King John I. He started a big building project around 1415.
Most of the buildings around the main courtyard, called the Ala Joanina (John's Wing), are from this time. This includes the main front of the palace with its entrance arches. It also features windows with mullions in Manueline and Moorish styles.
The palace had many rooms, including:
- The Swan Room (Sala dos Cisnes): This room is in the Manueline style. It is named for the swans painted on the ceiling. There are 30 swans, which was the age of the bride, Infanta Isabel.
- Magpie Room (Sala das Pegas): This room has magpies painted on the ceiling. Each magpie holds a sign that says por bem (for honor). This story says King John I was caught kissing a lady-in-waiting. To stop the gossip, he had the room decorated with as many magpies as there were women at court.
- Patios: The older part of the palace has courtyards decorated with tiles. They also have water pools in the Islamic style.
King Duarte I, John I's son, loved the palace. He stayed there often and wrote about it. His writings help us understand how the palace was used. King Afonso V was born and died in the palace. King John II was also named King of Portugal here.
The Palace in the 1500s
What Did King Manuel I Add?
Another big building project happened between 1497 and 1530. This was led by King Manuel I. He used the wealth from Portugal's Age of Discoveries. During his rule, a new art style developed. It mixed Gothic and Renaissance styles, and was called Manueline.
King Manuel also brought back Islamic art influences, known as Mudéjar. This can be seen in the colorful ceramic tiles (azulejos) used for decoration.
King Manuel ordered the building of the Ala Manuelina (Manuel's Wing). This part is to the right of the main entrance. It has special Manueline windows. He also built the Coats-of-Arms Room (Sala dos Brasões) between 1515 and 1518. This room has a grand wooden ceiling with 72 coats-of-arms of the King and important Portuguese noble families.
King Manuel also redecorated many rooms. He used colorful tiles made especially for him in Seville. These azulejo tile panels have beautiful Mudéjar patterns.
What About the Kitchens?
The palace has two amazing kitchens. They are very large rooms with many ovens and stoves. Instead of a normal ceiling, huge conical chimneys rise up from the kitchens. They get narrower as they reach the sky.
Sintra Palace in Modern Times
For centuries, kings and queens continued to live in the palace sometimes. They added new paintings, tile panels, and furniture. A sad story is about King Afonso VI. He was not well and was removed from power by his brother Pedro II. King Afonso VI was forced to live in the palace from 1676 until he died in 1683.
The palace was damaged by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. But it was rebuilt to look like it did before. The biggest loss was a tower over the Arab Room, which fell down. In the late 1700s, Queen Maria I redecorated some rooms.
In the 1800s, Sintra became a favorite place for kings again. The palace was often used. Queen Amélia especially loved the palace and drew many pictures of it. When Portugal became a republic in 1910, the palace became a national monument. In the 1940s, it was restored by architect Raul Lino. He tried to make it look as grand as it once was. He added old furniture and fixed the tile panels. Since then, it has been an important place for tourists to visit.
Gallery
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The palace from above
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Sala das Pegas
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View of the palace from an 1840 print
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View of the Sintra from the garden of the Comte de Povoa, 1840
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See also
In Spanish: Palacio Nacional de Sintra para niños
- Palaces in Portugal
- Azulejo
