Sintra National Palace, Medieval royal palace in central Sintra, Portugal
Sintra National Palace, also called Town Palace, is a historic house museum in Sintra. Its complex, stepped white complex has terracotta roofs and two 33-metre conical chimneys rising from the kitchens. The main facade has three bodies, with a lower arcade of four pointed arches, five mullioned windows above, and a central courtyard called Ala Joanina.
The palace began as a royal home in the early 1400s and remained continuously occupied by Portuguese monarchs until the late 1800s. This makes it the longest-inhabited royal residence in the country's history.
The Magpie Room's ceiling holds 136 magpies, each painted with the motto "Por bem" in its beak. According to the tale recorded by Almeida Garrett, King John I had the birds painted to silence court ladies who gossiped after Queen Philippa caught him kissing a lady-in-waiting. The Swan Room ceiling shows 27 swans, linked to the Burgundian emblem of Philip the Good.
Plan to spend several hours exploring the various rooms and sections throughout the palace. It sits within walking distance of Sintra's town center, making it convenient to visit as part of a day trip to the area.
The Swan Room ceiling carries 27 painted swans, matching the age of Infanta Isabel, bride of Philip the Good of Burgundy, whose emblem was the swan. The number is not decorative: it records a marriage alliance between Portugal and Burgundy.
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