Hello everyone, today I'd like to talk about our visit to Montserrat, a suburb of Sintra. This place is home to summer residences of the Portuguese royal family, along with several noble houses. Sintra is known for its grand architectural forms. It's a paradise for enthusiasts of landscape design as well. This shouldn't come as a surprise, as according to Greek mythology, the goddess of hunting, Artemis was born on Mount Sinthos. That's why the goddess is often referred to as Sinthia, a name that eventually transformed into Sintra over time.
We explored the beautiful parks and visited my favorite palace, Montserrat Palace. This might be one of Sintra's lesser-known spots. I want to share this discovery with you and recommend visiting if you come here, as it's a bit off the beaten path compared to more famous places like Pena palace or Moorish castle.
It's a magnificent place. The interior's plant motifs blend perfectly with the palace's gardens. Montserrat Park boasts one of Portugal's finest botanical gardens. Speaking of the central structure of this park, that would be Monserrat Palace itself. Initially constructed in the late 18th century by an British merchant, the park owes much to British contributions. Originally built in a neo-Gothic style it looked quite different.However when the merchant returned to his homeland, neglect set in and it fell into a melancholic state.
In the 19th century the palace and park found a true custodian in Francis Cook, who renovated and rebuilt the place entirely. Thus Monserrat Palace was completed. The essence remained the same, but it emerged with an entirely new façade. Here one could say the best of Venetian Gothic and Indian culturl influences converged, alongside the historical influence of Moorish culture. It was a pinnacle of stylistic fusion.
The palace itself seems like an ideal place for relaxation. The walls and blue paint, along with the bathrooms on the first floor, complete the atmosphere here.
There's a kind of fantastical carved door, inside lined entirely with wooden shelves. Portraits of Francis Cook and his wife hang everywhere on the walls. The ceiling is adorned with intricate woodwork, quite fascinating. The overall decorative theme includes plaster embellishments and intricately detailed marble sections, such as the railings on the second floor.
After passing through the grand central hall, there's a bedroom to the right and a sitting room to the left. Typically these floors in such homes are used for public social functions, with quietness preserved on the upper floors, which adds to its unusual and romantic charm.
The mansion was built in the 16th century, initially owned by church officials. Then passed through various noble families before eventually coming into the hands of the British. It owes its present appearance largely to them.
The landscape park seems wild at first glance but is actually organized in a manner more fitting to British landscape park culture. Despite its initial appearance, it contains various areas like a Japanese garden, rose garden, Mexican corner and even a fern valley. Everything on these slopes looks incredibly beautiful and intriguing. Montserrat Park's collection includes plants from around the world. Along the paths, we found cork oaks, ancient ferns, Araucarias, palm trees, and agaves.
The park is divided into several geographical regions. The Mexican garden covers the warmest and driest area, featuring plants from Africa, Australia, Chile and of course Mexico. Cacti grow alongside palm trees. In the Japanese garden, camellias, azaleas, bamboo and fig trees thrive.
It's not possible to visit all of Sintra's interesting places in a single day. However even a few hours visit to Montserrat Palace from Lisbon is definitely worth it.