Pena Palace, Portugal, a World Heritage Site

The history of this magical place begins in the 12th century with the construction of a small chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Pena. In the same place, Manuel I ordered the construction of a monastery, the Royal Monastery of Our Lady of Pena, which was later handed over to the Catholic organization the Order of St. Jerome. In the 18th century, lightning strikes destroyed parts of the tower, chapel and sacristy, and then the Lisbon earthquake of 1755 reduced the monastery to near ruins. Only the high altar area within the church, with its marble and alabaster altarpiece by Nicolas de Chantraine, remains intact. In the 19th century, the Sintra mountain landscape and the ruins of the ancient monastery amazed King Fernando II of Portugal, and he fell in love with Sintra. In 1838 he also acquired the ruined old monastery, the Moorish castle, the surrounding farms and all the forests with his personal property. The original project was to restore the building as a summer residence for the royal family, but his enthusiasm led him to decide to build it into a palace under the guidance of German geologist, mineralogist and architect Baron Wilhelm Ludwig. The building is surrounded by other structures that are connected by walkways, watchtowers, a pathway, and even a suspension bridge. The palace blends architectural references of Manueline and Moorish influences, producing a surprising "Thousand and One Nights" scene Driven by his interest in collecting, Ferdinand II planted native forest species from all continents, including Asian camellias, which turned the 85 hectares of Pena Park into the most important botanical garden in Portugal. In 1995, the Sintra Cultural Landscape, including the Pena Palace, was listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site. #OverseasTravel #PortugalTravel #PortugalClothing #WorldHeritage #WorldHeritageCulturalHeritage #WorldHeritageTour #Palace #portugal #sintra #palácio Nacional da Pena