Quinta da Regaleira

The owner

A wealthy owner bought the estate in 1892 to build a place of symbols

Carvalho Monteiro bought the estate in 1892. He was eager to build a bewildering place where he could collect symbols that reflected his interests and ideologies. With the Italian architect Luigi Manini, he recreated the 4-hectare estate.

Symbols

Its buildings allegedly held symbols of alchemy and the Knights Templar

Monteiro added enigmatic buildings that allegedly held symbols related to alchemy, Masonry, the Knights Templar and the Rosicrucians. The architecture Manini designed evoked Roman, Gothic, Renaissance and Manueline styles. Building began in 1904 and much was completed by 1910.

The well

The Initiation Well is an inverted tower that never held water

The larger of two shafts holds a 27-metre spiral staircase with 23 small niches. The wells never served as water sources and were built for ceremonial purposes. At the bottom is an inland stone compass with the Templar cross.

27-metrespiral staircase in the larger well

Tunnels

Tunnels link the grottoes, the chapel crypt and the palace

An extensive network of underground tunnels connects the Virgin's Cave, the Labyrinth Cave and other grottoes. The system also gives passage to the chapel's crypt, which connects directly to the main palace by an underground walkway.

Opening

The estate stayed closed for ten years before it opened in 1998

Waldemar d'Orey bought the estate in 1942. In 1987 it was sold to the Japanese Aoki Corporation, which kept it closed to the public for ten years. The Sintra Town Council acquired it in 1997 and it opened to the public in June 1998.