Upon entering the palace, we ascended a spiral staircase that was built in the 16th century and considered one of the “first monumental staircases built in Portugal”. At the top of the stairs, we came to the Entrance Hall that was used to connect the two palaces built by Kings João I and Manuel I. The Manueline Hall (Sala Manuelina) is the main hall of Royal Residence built by King Manuel I at the beginning of 16th century. Like the Town Hall, it is decorated in the Manueline architectural style which was named after the king. This is most obvious in the gorgeous, curved entranceways which are decorated with the maritime-themed stone carvings including knotted ropes, seashells and floral motifs plus the Portuguese coat of arms. The room itself is noted for its high vaulted ceilings, enormous chandelier, Moorish-influenced Mudéjar wall tile designs and a fireplace with an ornate mirror hanging above it. This room was changed significantly during the reign of King Luis I in the 19th century but restored to its original design during the Estado Novo dictatorship of the 1930s, as an “exercise in nationalistic and imperialist propaganda”.
Next, we visited a series of rooms that were most recently restored to reflect the décor and furnishings of the late 19th century, when Queen Maria Pia of Savoy lived there. An Italian princess who married King Luis I in 1862, Luis I (1861-1889) and Maria Pia became the last monarchs to inhabit the palace. The Queen’s apartments included a bedroom, covered gallery or balcony, dressing room and toilet room, sitting room, bathroom and wardrobe. A few elements in the bedroom were initially designed for the previous monarch Pedro V (1837-1861) and Queen Stephanie. A shield with the monogram “PS” is visible on the ceiling. Queen Maria Pia’s bathroom was quite modern for its time with various bath basins with hot and cold taps and a striking window featuring multi-coloured glass. A private sitting room was used by the queen to work, rest and receive visits from her inner circle.
While the Manueline Room was the Great Hall for King Manuel I, the Renaissance-styled Great Hall for King João I and Philippa of Lancaster is currently known as the “Swan Room” because of the painted ceiling with 27 wooden panels of white swans in different poses. It was built in the early 15th Century as part of major building renovations. The swan with a crown was an emblem representing Phillipa’s father King Henry IV of England and was used through to the 19th century for banquets, musical concerts, public receptions, and religious and funeral ceremonies. Another grand room with an intriguing ceiling is known as the “Magpie Room” which was used to receive foreign dignitaries and ambassadors. The painting of 136 magpies holding dates back to the 15th century. Each magpie holds the banner of King João I in its beak and grasps a rose in its claws that may refer to Queen Philippa’s House of Lancaster. Legend has it that King João I was caught kissing one of Phillipa’s ladies-in-waiting resulting in widespread gossip and chatter, like chattering magpies. To remind the court of their duty to maintain discretion, the king had the ceiling painted with 136 magpies, one for each woman in court at the time. I think the magpies would just remind Phillipa of his indiscretion!
Built on the orders of King João III (1502-1557), the Galleys Room connected his chambers to the northwest wing of the palace. It’s distinctive domed ceiling dates back to the 17th to 18th centuries and looks like the hull of a ship, decorated with seascapes depicting low, flat ships flying the flags of the Ottomans, Dutch, and Portuguese, who were the major naval powers of the period. These types of ships were called galleys, as reflected in the name of the room. From windows in the corridors are scenic views of the Sintra hillside as well as the various gardens in the Palace with exotic trees and manicured shrubbery.
The room known as the Gold Chamber was where sovereigns such as Queen Catarina of Austria would stay when visiting the National Palace, surrounded by servants or close family members. The gold leaf that once adorned this room has since been lost. Today the room includes a 17th century bed with a crimson canopy and a magnificent headboard decorated with medallions displaying mythological scenes. The nearby Wardrobe Room, also called the “Mermaid Room” because of its marine-themed decorations depicting mermaids on the ceiling, was used to store clothes, jewelry, silver, ceramics and other ceremonial items.
Like the Wardrobe, the Camarim Room was used to store objects of splendour including tapestries, paintings, a Spanish cabinet with ivory and tortoise-shell inlay, Chinese porcelain and chests made from teak, lacquer, ebony and ivory. A celestial sphere dating back to 1575 displays constellations and zodiac signs. It reflects what was “known” about the Universe at the time and is the oldest globe in Portugal.
The most impressive room in the palace is the Heraldry Room or “Coat of Arms” Room which serves as an allegory for King Manuel I's centralised power. The walls are covered with 18th century blue and white azulejos tiles depicting bucolic and hunting scenes as well as what looks like images of the four seasons. At the centre of the octagonal domed ceiling is the King’s royal coat of arms topped with a gilded winged serpent. Surrounding this are the coats of arms of King Manuel I’s eight children. The next ring includes shields with eight majestic stags with white striped antlers symbolizing the nobility’s love of hunting. The final rings feature 72 coats of arms of the prominent Portuguese noble families. An inscription circling the room pays tribute to the loyal service of the families.
King João I organized his rooms around an open-air Central Courtyard which is adorned with Moorish tiles and features an Islamic-styled water pool, Renaissance columns and a water fountain consisting of twisted Manueline columns topped with small nude figures holding the Portuguese coat of arms. A rare geometrical trompe-l’oeil fresco from the reign of King Manuel I was recently discovered during restorations of the patio. From the courtyard, we got a close-up view of the conical stacks that we initially saw from afar. When we next entered the kitchen, we finally found what they were used for. These were two 33-metre-high chimneys used for ventilating the large kitchen where food was prepared to feed the entire court comprised of several hundred people. The kitchen had multiple hearths, two ovens, a metal food warmer and roasting spits.
Returning back out in the central courtyard, we inspected a 16th Century Water Grotto located in a shady area protected from the sun with water jets that squirt from tiny holes in the wall. The exterior of the grotto has a Moorish feel. The interior was redecorated in the 18th Century with blue and white tiles on the walls depicting angels and floral designs and a stucco ceiling depicting the creation of the world, the four seasons and mythological themes.
The Chapel was originally built in the 13th century under King Dinis but altered multiple times with the last alterations happening in the 18th and 19th centuries. The Chapel has a stunning Mudéjar-styled carved wooden ceiling with latticework made of geometrical elements that form radial and star compositions. The ceramic floor uses an ancient “alicatado” technique using mosaic formed of polygonal glazed tiles to create multi-coloured geometric patterns. The walls are painted in patterned squares depicting the Holy spirit descending as a dove. With access to the Chapel, the Anteroom of the Council Chamber (also known as the Arab Room) was a waiting room outside the judges’ or councillors meeting chamber. The current decoration from the Manueline period integrates several tile techniques. The centrepiece of the room is an ornate fountain consisting of a white marble basin surrounded by colourful ceramic tiles with a bronze sculpture featuring mythological sea creatures that spout water emerging from the centre.
The actual Council Chamber was where meetings occurred between judges of the House of Supplication, and later the King’s advisers. The room has been redecorated to represent the elements that would probably have been present, including a long table and different chairs to represent various social statuses, textiles, writing materials and a bell to summon the doorkeeper. Finally, we saw the Prison Room where King Afonso VI was kept prisoner for 9 years by his younger brother Pedro (later King Pedro II) after a coup where Afonso was deposed and deemed mentally unfit. Throughout his imprisonment, Afonso was kept isolated and guarded by 300 soldiers. His was the only room in the palace where the windows were secured with iron bars.
It took us several hours to tour all the wonderful rooms in the National Palace that were full of history and beautiful architectural details and furnishings. At the end of it, we were ready for dinner. We selected Incomum, a highly rated, contemporary restaurant near the Sintra Train station that features a variety of innovative dishes designed by chef Luís Santos. We did not have a reservation and the restaurant was full but luckily, we scored the last table outside. As it was a chilly evening, the waiter helpfully provided me with a blanket. We started with a flavourful sheep’s cheese lightly browned and sprinkled with oregano served with bread. For main courses, I had sauteed scallops with a passion fruit risotto topped with green beans while Rich had Ibernia pork filet mignon on a bed of spinach served with clams over polenta. The meal was so good that we made reservations to return two nights later. We had bought some desserts from Piriquita so we went back to the apartment to enjoy them.
This was a long and eventful first day in Sintra and we still had two more days and four more palaces to visit.