The colossal palace that bankrupted the nation
The words "massive," "monumental," "gigantic," "colossal," and "vast" fail
to describe the scale of Mafra's Baroque royal palace.
The grandiose monument was built in 1717 to celebrate the birth of a
daughter to King João V, and includes a monastery and a basilica.
The extravagant king wanted the palace and basilica to compete in
magnificence and grandeur with Spain's Escorial and St. Peter's in Rome, and
at the time it seemed that such a huge project would never be completed. At
one point there were 45,000 men working on it, and several artists came from
abroad, with 7,000 soldiers overseeing the workforce. They ended up
creating 5,200 doorways, 2,500 windows, 880 halls and rooms, 154 staircases,
29 courtyards, and two bell towers boasting the world's largest collection
of bells (57 in each) that can be heard for 24km (15 miles) when they're
played on Sunday.
In 1720 the French ambassador reported to his king that all the money in
Iberia would be insufficient to pay for it, but the gold that flowed in from
the rich mines of Brazil made it possible in 1735. This remarkable
accomplishment is the basis of Nobel-prize author José Saramago's novel
Baltasar and Blimunda.
In the center is the Baroque façade of the basilica flanked by two bell
towers, and at the sides are two large square towers with onion domes.
A guided tour takes visitors from the king's apartments at one end,
through the splendid baroque library, the domed basilica, to the queen's
apartments at the other end, some 250m (820ft) away.
The extravagant rooms of the royal apartments are furnished with
exceptional pieces of 18th century furniture and paintings. One of the most
eye-catching rooms has chandeliers made out of antlers and upholstery of
animal skin.
Most magnificent of all is the library, one of the finest in
Europe, decorated with precious marble and exotic wood. It contains 35,000
volumes, including the precious first editions of Camões' Os
Lusiadas, a trilingual Bible from 1514, and the earliest edition of
Homer in Greek.
The royal basilica is also particularly remarkable for the quality
of its pink and gray marbles, and has one of the world's largest domes
(although dwarfed by the scale of the rest of the building). It also
contains eleven chapels and includes six splendid Baroque organs and fine
sculptures in the atrium.
Other areas open to the public include the hospital, a pharmacy with
bizarre medical instruments, an audience room, and chapterhouse.
Behind the palace is the former royal hunting ground, now a
wildlife park also open for tours.
Hourly "Mafrense" buses leave to Mafra from Lisbon's Campo Grande bus
terminal.
|
Places Nearby
|
Ericeira
- Traditional seaside village; surfing mecca, superb seafood
Sintra
- Enchanting and mysterious atmosphere; romantic palaces; Europe's
westernmost point
Queluz
- Palace mixing Versailles' French grandeur and Portuguese eclecticism
Cascais
- Playground of nobility; picturesque resort; a surfer's paradise
Estoril
- The inspiration for James Bond; Europe's largest casino;
spectacular golf courses
Lisbon - The
Age of Discovery, World Heritage monuments, museum treasures, vibrant
nightlife
|
