The National Palace of Pena constitutes one of the major expressions of 19th century Romanticism in Portugal. This National Monument was built by the initiative of D. Fernando of Saxe Coburg-Gotha, who married Queen Mary II, in 1836. Endowed with a very complete education, the future King Fernando II quickly fell in love with Sintra and, when going up the Mountain range for the first time, sighted the ruins of the old Convent of Frades Hieronimitas, originally built in the reign of King John II and substantially transformed by King Manuel I that, when fulfilling a promise, ordered it to be reconstructed, into rock, in praise of Our Lady of Pena, donating it again to the Ordem dos Monges de S. Jerónimo (a monks' order). Portugal is a country with a long History. ... Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (October 29, 1819 - December 15, 1885) was consort king of Portugal following his marriage to Queen Maria II in 1836. ... Maria II, Queen of Portugal (April 4, 1819 - November 15, 1853). ... 1836 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The village of Sintra, seen from the steps of the Palácio Nacional Sintra is a village northwest of Lisbon, Portugal, and the capital of the sea-side concelho (municipality) of the same name. ... João II of Portugal (English: John II), the Perfect Prince (Port. ... Manuel I of Portugal (Archaic Portuguese: Manoel I, English: Emanuel I), the Fortunate (Port. ... A Roman Catholic monk A monk is a person who practices monasticism, adopting a strict religious and ascetic lifestyle, usually in community with others following the same path. ...

Close look of the Palace of Pena in Sintra (from IPPAR)

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From the Ruins a Palace from the fables is born

With the earthquake of 1755 devasted Lisbon and all the surrounding region, the convent of the Pena fell in ruins. But the Chapel, with magnificent retable in marble and alabaster attributed to Nicholas of Chanterenne, remained unbroken. These ruins, on top of the steep mountains of Sintra, had astonished the young prince D. Fernando. In 1838, he decided to acquire the old convent, and all the fence involving, the surrounding Castle of Mouros (Castle of Moors) and other quintas (farms) and bushes. Thus, he gave a beginning to his romantic dream: to reconstruct the old convent and to annex a new part to it for complement of this summer residence of the Portuguese Royal Family. Global earthquake epicenters, 1963–1998 An earthquake is a trembling or a shaking movement of the Earths surface. ... 1755 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... District Lisbon Mayor   - Party Pedro Santana Lopes PSD Area 84. ... 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

He also thought ordering to plant an English style park, with the most varied, exotic and rich species of trees. By this, the Park and Palace of Pena are seen as from a book of enchanted princes and princess'. The Palace, itself, has a profusion of styles and the volume movement have an inusual architecture. Almost all the Palace seats in enormous rocks, and the mixture of styles that exhibits (neo-gothic, neo-Manueline, neo-Islamic, neo-renaissance, among other styles) are all intentional, in the 19th century people used to like what was exotic.

The set of the diverse sentry boxes, of the most varied forms and shapes, the uneven terraces, covered with tiles in neo-Hispanic-Arabic style are significant elements. The adaptation of the window of the Convent of Christ in Tomar, in the side of the Pátio dos Arcos and the notable figure of the Triton, symbolizing, according to some authors, the Creation of the World, are basic details in the interpretation of this Palace. In Greek mythology, Triton is the son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, the personification of the roaring waters, represented as having the upper body of a human and the tail of a fish. ...

The interior of the Palace

The creation of the interiors of the Palace of Pena were adaptated to be the summer residence of the real family. It has excellent works in estuque, painted walls in trompe-l'oeil and diverse coverings in tile of 19th century, taking part of the numorous royal colections.

The Palace today

Today, The Palace of Pena is open to the general public and is part of the World Heritage Site that is the Cultural Landscape of Sintra.

See also: Monuments of Portugal - History of Portugal - Timeline of Portuguese history - List of Portuguese monarchs - Kings of Portugal family tree Portugal is a country with a long History. ... History of Portugal Series Prehistoric Portugal Pre-Roman Portugal Roman Lusitania and Gallaecia Visigoths and Suevi Moorish rule and Reconquista First County of Portugal Kingdom of Galicia and Portugal Second County of Portugal Establishment of the Monarchy Consolidation of the Monarchy 1383-1385 Crisis Discoveries Portuguese Empire 1580 Crisis Iberian... This is a historical timeline of Portugal. ... Afonso Henriques was the first King of Portugal. ... This is a collection of family trees concerning the Portuguese Royal family. ...

References

• Information from IPPAR - Instituto Português do Património Arquitectónico (in portuguese)