Also known as "The Palace of Monteiro the Millionaire", the Regaleira Palace is one of the top tourist attractions in Sintra. Over the years it has had many owners. In 1892, Carvalho Monteiro bought the property with the intention of constructing "...a bewildering place..." to show off his many collections. Monteiro was known to have dabbled in alchemy, Masonry, the Knights Templar, and Rosicrucian (a form of mysticism). Construction of Monteiro's palace began in 1904 and was completed by 1910. Thirty-two years later, the property was sold to Waldemar d'Orey, who made it a private residence for his rather large family. By 1987, the property was once again sold, this time to the Japanese Aoki Corporation. Finally, in 1997, the Sintra Town Council purchased the property and a year later opened it to the public as a tourist attraction. One of the main architectural features of the palace is its octagonal tower. A superbly decorated chapel sits by itself in front of the main facade of the palace. Covered with frescos, stained glass windows, and impressive stuccoes, the chapel is an attraction on its own. As impressive as all this is, what really amazed us the most was the fantastically landscaped grounds, which contained an extensive system of tunnels connecting grottos, a waterfall lake, "Leda's Cave," and two "Initiation Wells" (ceremonial sites for Tarot initiation rites). This place was unbelievable and well worth a visit.
One of the top tourist attractions in Sintra, Portugal is the Regaleira Palace, also known as "The Palace of Monteiro the Millionaire. The octagonal tower on the left is the palace's most noted architectural feature. Just a few steps from the palace is this fantastically decorated chapel... ...and it is just as beautiful inside as it is on the outside. This view of the chapel with the palace in the background presents just a small sample of how beautiful this complex is. While the inside of the palace is opulent (such as this dining room... ...and the living room with its sculptured fireplace)... ...we were more impressed by wonderfully landscaped grounds. Flowers and stone structures were everywhere. And we made sure we saw it all... ...from its tall towers... ...to its sculptured benches... ...to the many grottos on the property. An extensive system of tunnels connect many parts of the grounds... ...from "Leda's cave"... ...to the "Initiation Wells"... ...where Tarot ceremonial initiation rites took place. This place is amazing and well worth a visit!
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Carl and Lorraine Aveni are two retirees planning on traveling through Europe for at least one year.
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