Quinta da Regaleira, aka

Palace of Monteiro the Millionaire

Sintra, Portugal

• – the municipality of Sintra lies 30 km to the west of Lisbon and extends all the way to the Atlantic, embracing an area known as the Portugese Riviera;
• – Quinta in Portugese means country estate or villa;
• – situated in the Sintra Mountains, the town has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is festooned with royal palaces, castles, historic villas, estates and even the medieval Castle of the Moors;
• – the 4 ha. site was purchased in 1892 by Carvalho Monteiro whose family amassed a mining fortune in Brazil and he moved to Portugal to study law. Work started in 1904 and the Quinta was completed in 1910.

Gothic Revival & Manueline (flamboyant Portugesian embellishment of Gothic)

Sintra, Portugal

– Sintra and the Quinta have been labeled the most fairytale place to visit on the face of the earth;
– there are many key attractions on the property, perhaps the most important is the Palacio, designed in the Manueline style…. but don’t underestimate the significance of other major features on the estate;
– the 4 ha. (10 ac.) site is a marvel of ingenuity, whimsy and symbology;
– in addition to the Palacio, there is a well developed pathway system throughout the site which lead to several smaller buildings and landscape features;
– for brevity sake, these include 2 inverted wells spiralling into the ground;
– the more significant one is called Poco Iniciatico (Inititation Well or Inverted Tower) which spirals 9 stories into the ground, the floor of which is decorated in a Templar cross;
– other features in the Park include a small Roman Catholic Chapel, tunnels, lakes, grottoes, fountains and an abandoned aquarium;
– designed in the primitive style, the Park contains symbols attributed to Freemasonry, Knights Templar and Rosicrucianism.

• – a brief overview such as this website provides does not do this property justice;
• – there is so much enrichment that it deserves an in-person visit in order to experience all the Quinta has to offer
• – Monteiro was a man of many interests and had the vision and foresight in order to create this magnificent estate;
• – an interesting side story, the key to the Quinta also opens Monteiro’s palace in Lisbon as well as his masonic Tomb in Prazeres Cemetery;
• – credit must also be given to the Italian Architect, Luigi Manini who executed the vision for the Quinta;
• – Luigi was a set designer (studied at La Scala), painter, Architect AND of Italian nobility (Count of Fagnana);
• – before returning to Italy in 1913, Manini was known for designing some of the most notable buildings in Portugal:
• Palacio Hotel do Bucaco, Vila Relogio, Challet Mayer, Villa Sassetti and of course Monteiro’s tomb.

– Great Houses of Europe – Binney and Starkey
– Quinta da Regaleira – A Fabulous assemblage of constructions full of Templars and Masonic symbols – www.portugalvirtual.pt
– Inside the Initiatic Well – Picture of Quina da Regaleira, Sintra – www.tripadvisor.com
– Antonio Augusto de Carvalho Monteiro: um naturalista pioneiro,
https://archive.org

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