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Palαcio da Pena, or "Castelo da Pena" as it is more commonly
known, is the most complete and notable example of Portuguese
architecture in the Romantic period. It stands on one of
the rocky peaks of the Serra de Sintra, and blends in a
surprisingly fortunate manner with its natural background
of greenery and crags, testifying to the aesthetic potentialities
of the project.
The Palace dates back to 1839, when the King Consort Dom
Fernando II of Saxe Coburg-Gotha (1816-1885) bought the
ruins of the Hieronymite Monastery of Nossa Senhora da Pena
and started to adapt it for use as a residence, according
to his Romantic taste.
As his director of the works, Baron von Eschwege put into
effect the King's revivalist ideas and round the restored
ruins of the monastery raised a majestic pastiche inspired
by the palaces and castles of Bavaria. Fanciful to an extreme,
the architectural fabric of Pena finds much of its inspiration
in the Moorish, Gothic and Manueline motifs of Portuguese
art, as well as in the Wagnerian spirit of the Schinkel
Castles of Central Europe. It is to be noted that of the
former 16th Century monastery there were preserved the Manueline
cloister and the chapel, the latter with a celebrated Renaissance
reredos by the sculptor Nicolau Chanterene
The Palace of Pena is closed on Mondays.
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