"The Romantics Nest" a Sintra Travel Page by Mundus

Sintra possesses a great variety of monuments with much historical and artistical interest.

Some places that must be mentioned include: the National Sintra?s palace, the Pena?s palace, the Monserrate?s palace and the Seteais palace, the Moorish Castle e the Estates of Penha Verde and Regaleira, the Convent of Capuchos and the S. Pedro of Penaferrim Church.

The harmony of mixtures between the forest abundance and the monuments gives a big peculiarity to Sintra.

In DEcember 6th, 1995, UNESCO has approved the classification of Sintra as World Heritage in the category of ?Cultural Landscape?.

During the period of dominion from the Moorish the Moorish Castle was built (or enlarged), in the ridge of the mountain (high: 450 m), such as, in the ?Floor of the Olive?, actual Old Villa, the Royal Palace of the Moorish princes which originated the Royal Court.

After the Reconquest ? Sintra was delivered to the army of D. Afonso Henriques in 1147, a few days after the taking of Lisbon ? the Portuguese king donated a Foral Letter to the 30 people that occupied the ?oppidum? of the Castle (1154).

In the reign of D. Dinis (1279-1325) the villa was donated to the Queen Santa Isabel. Big repairs of amplification are made in the Royal Court and Sintra?s life gained a new dynamic. After the 1383-85 crisis, the Villa received new autonomic privileges and entered in it?s best phase. In the beginning of the XVI century the King D. Manuel promoted in the Royal Court new repairs of ampliation and decoration, while at the same time a cultural and literal outbreak was blooming in it?s space, of a crescent Renascentist blow. According to tradition, not yet confirmed, Lu?s de Cam?es had read the original book of ?The Lus?adas? in one of the King D. Sebastian Court rows ready to launch itself in his frustrating Moorish enterprise. The XVI century was in fact, to Sintra, a period of blooming and a centre of decision of the power established.

Sintra, in the XIX century had a considerable influence in the development of the romantic architecture in Europe. The King D. Fernando II, dynamized the ordered forestation in the mountain and supported the construction of sumptuous and revivalist buildings, like the Pena Palace , that due to it?s magnificent mixture of exotic and medieval styles, is a model of the European romanticism, at least tow decades advanced compared with identical projects on Germany.