Quinta da Regaleira, Palace and estate in Sintra, Portugal
Quinta da Regaleira is a five-storey palace of pale grey stone with carved ornament, rising from an arcaded lower level to windows and balconies, topped by pinnacles, small spires and a taller tower with a pointed cap. It stands on a lawn with large ferns and trees, and a detached carved stone structure with open arches stands to the right.
The estate's current form dates from 1892, when António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro bought it at auction for 25,000 réis and later hired Luigi Manini, a scenographer from La Scala, who supervised the palace and gardens between 1898 and 1911. Building ran from 1904 to 1910, with stones artificially treated to imitate centuries of erosion. After Monteiro's death in 1920 the quinta passed to his son, was sold to Waldemar d'Orey in 1942, and was bought by the Sintra Town Council in 1997, opening to the public in June 1998.
The palace combines architectural references to the Templars, Rosicrucians, and Freemasons with Portuguese building traditions, creating a space for philosophical contemplation and esoteric studies that reflects intellectual currents of the early twentieth century.
The estate covers about four hectares on the slope of the Serra de Sintra, with paths linking the palace, chapel, grottoes, lakes and the Initiation Well; the upper wooded section is left wild and disorganised, so allow time and wear sturdy shoes. The grounds were closed to the public for ten years under the Aoki Corporation and reopened in June 1998 after restoration by the Sintra Town Council.
The larger of the two initiation wells is 27 metres deep, with a spiral staircase of nine flights and 23 small niches along the shaft wall. At its bottom lies a stone compass bearing the Templar cross, and tunnels link it to the East Cave and the Waterfall Lake.
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