Palácio Nacional e Mosteiro de Mafra

Terreiro de Dom João V - 2640-492 Mafra
Téléphone: (+351) 261.817.550

URL: Palácio Nacional e Mosteiro de Mafra

Palácio Nacional e Mosteiro de Mafra
The commonly called «Mafra Convent» includes the Palace, the Monastery, the Library and the Basilica.

The monument was built due to a promise made by king João V so that the queen, Mary of Austria, would give him a male heir.

The queen conceived a boy and the sovereign fulfilled his vow and ordered the construction of a convent dedicated to Saint Anthony.

The building of the most imponent Portuguese Baroque monument began in 1717, under the supervision of the German architect Johann Friedrich Ludwig.

The works were concluded by 1730.

The façade is about 660 ft long, with the Basilica in the middle and the Palace and the Monastery on each side.

The marble came from the quarries of Pêro Pinheiro and Sintra, the wood from Brazil.

From France, Belgium, Italy and Holland arrived the bells, the statues, the carillons, the silver table ware and the chandeliers.

All this amounts to an enormous building with 880 rooms, 300 cells, 4500 doors and windows, 154 staircases and 29 courtyards.

The Royal Palace was a summer residence, besides lodging the Court during the hunting season.

An enormous corridor crosses the palace, giving access to all its rooms and chambers.

The frescoes are dazzling, namely at the Throne Room, where they appear to be statues due to the embossed work.

The Hunting Room exhibits an enormous collection of trophies, all of animals hunted at the «Tapada» (the adjoining Royal Hunting Reserve).

Even the furniture was made using male deers' horns.

The Blessing Room, all in marble, is also interesting.

From there and through a window, the sovereigns attended mass at the Basilica.

The Monastery reflects the life-style of the Franciscan monks, very humble and counting only with the essential.

The visit includes the kitchen, the pharmacy, the hospital (adjoining the chapel, with a series of cubicles leading to the central corridor, where the beds of the sick were taken during religious services), and the monks' cells, where self-punishing instruments were quite common.

The magnificent Library, kept by the friars, has about 36 thousand rare books which can be consulted outside the tour.

After leaving the Palace, go up the central staircase of the Convent and visit the Basilica.

A series of sculptures invite you to the interior, all in marble, with 11 chapels, 45 tribunes, six organs, 40 statues of religious figures, four carrillons (two manual, with four-octave keyboards, and two mechanical), and 110 bells, of which 93 are connected to the carrillons.

The enormous bells of the North and South towers were cast in Antwerp, Belgium.

Useful information
Guided tours: Wednesday to Monday, from 10 am to 5 pm (last entrance at 4.45 pm).

Library: working days, from 10 to 12.30 am and from 2 to 5 pm.

Carrillons: guided tours on Sundays, at 3.15 pm, groups of a maximum of 20 visitors.

Concerts: every Sunday at 4 pm.