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Trip ideas  /  6 days in Evora and the Alentejo  /  Ducal Palace of Vila Vicosa
Ducal Palace of Vila Vicosa, Evora, Alentejo
Historic site · Evora, Alentejo

Ducal Palace of Vila Vicosa

A facade from 1583.Pink Estremoz marble.A king in 1640.

Photo: Daniel Villafruela, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Braganza

The palace was the seat of the House of Braganza for centuries

The palace was for many centuries the seat of the House of Braganza. Braganza was the ruling house of the Kingdom of Portugal from 1640 until 1910, when King Manuel II was deposed in the 5 October 1910 Revolution.

A new home

After exile, Duke Jaime began a new palace instead of using the castle

After the 1483 execution of Fernando II for treason by order of King John II, the family was exiled to Castile. Returning in 1498, Duke Jaime declined to live in the Castle of Vila Viçosa. Construction of the ducal palace began between 1501 and 1502.

The facade

The classical facade took from 1583 to 1635 to finish

Teodósio II began the grand works of the classical facade in 1583, and it was completed in 1635. The main facade is lined with ashlar masonry and pink Estremoz marble, over three floors, with Tuscan capitals on one floor and Ionic on the other.

1640

In 1640 the Duke became King John IV and the palace lost its role

In 1640 João II, 8th Duke of Braganza, came to the throne as King John IV, and the palace lost its importance as the permanent residence of the Dukes of Braganza. During the Napoleonic invasion the royal family fled to Brazil and the palace was closed.

Opening

The palace opened to the public in 1984, with a collection of carriages

After the 5 October 1910 revolution the royal family fled to England and the residences were closed. The will of Manuel II ordered a foundation to safeguard the royal estate. The palace opened to the public on 18 May 1984, with one of the largest displays of carriages in Europe.

Day 4, afternoon

It comes after Borba.

More stories from this trip idea

The words are a retelling of the Wikipedia article Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa, and are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. They are checked against those articles, and a fact that is not in them is left out.

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