Portuguese Royal Palaces, Castles and other Buildings

[Elsa M.]

Originally Posted by Marengo

Didn't he buy the house in Sintra for a price that was under the market value, according to some? When the dictatorship fell I believe? Or am I mixing up villa's here?

Yes, you're getting the right villa... the house in Sintra was bought by the Foundation, right before the royal family was allowed to come back to Portugal.

This one, on the other hand, is in the Algarve. I believe it was bought just after the children were born, so that they could have a nice place to spend their holidays in family. Here's another couple of photos, from Flash magazine:

http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/1...5c09d2csw1.jpg
http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/5...6de2afdko2.jpg

[Elsa M.]

More photos of this Summer residence can be found in this link shared by Regina here:

Casa da Infanta

[JSP]

Originally Posted by Elsa M.

Yes, you're getting the right villa... the house in Sintra was bought by the Foundation, right before the royal family was allowed to come back to Portugal.

This one, on the other hand, is in the Algarve. I believe it was bought just after the children were born, so that they could have a nice place to spend their holidays in family. Here's another couple of photos, from Flash magazine:

http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/1...5c09d2csw1.jpg
http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/5...6de2afdko2.jpg

What a confusion you are elaborating:

1. The Villa in Sintra does not belong to Fundação da Casa de Bragança.
As far as I know there are none or very few relations between HRH and the Fundação.

Don't forget that Salazar "nationalized" the properties of the Bragança Saxe-Coburgs after D.Manuel II's death, depriving the Bragança branch of what they historically considered to belong to them.

And still today the relation is rather tense.

The house of Sintra belongs to D.Duarte himself.
It belonged to an old monarchic friend who was childless and was thinking of taking exile in Brazil after the 1974 revolution.

Therefore he offered the Manor to D.Duarte for a very cheap price.

Mind you, the ancient owner did not want the House occupied and vandalized as so many were at the time, he was in a hurry to leave, he knew D.Duarte was not a very wealthy man and as a good monarchic he preferred to sell it cheaper to someone who would respect the house.

The fact that the house was so cheap also reflects that it was not in a very good shape, Sintra being a very damp micro-climate area.

I know what I am talking about, I have a summer house in the neighbourhood .
When D.Duarte got married, a group of friends joined in and their present was a partial renovation of the house, roofs, pipes, paint, etc.

After all, it would be no longer a bachelor's "pied-à-terre", but the home of the future RF, with a wife and kids, and D.Duarte would have to receive and entertain more.



2. The House in Ferragudo, Algarve was left in inheritance to D.Duarte by his aunt Infanta D.Filipa, who lived the last years of her life there and died in the very same house.

I heard that it used to belong to one of Infanta D.Antónia's sons who left it or sold it to his aunt D.Filipa but I could not confirm the story.



3. The third property D.Duarte owns is Casa das Fidalgas in Santar.
It is ran by Infante D.Miguel who lives there most of the year.
I didn't know it was opened to the public.
This weekend I will be in that area, so I will try to pop in.

EX LIBRIS: CASA DAS FIDALGAS EM SANTAR

Nearby is the reputed Quinta da Viscondessa de Santar, famous for its wine cellars and lovely gardens.

[Elsa M.]

Originally Posted by JSP

What a confusion you are elaborating

Elaborating... Well, of course there are relations between the Fundation and D. Duarte and there are actually several sources stating that two years after the Ban Law was abolished the royal family was presented with a residence by the Fundação Casa de Bragança. I don't have the time to look for it now, though you're probably right on that it's not the same house in Sintra after all.

About this house in the Algarve, I said it was probably owned just after the children were born, because we didn't see the family using it until very recent years, but we corrected the information in the current events thread, by saying that it was inherited from D. Duarte's aunt. The house was restored after 1990 and it was not used until recently.

[JSP]

Originally Posted by Elsa M.

Elaborating... Well, of course there are relations between the Fundation and D. Duarte and there are actually several sources stating that two years after the Ban Law was abolished the royal family was presented with a residence by the Fundação Casa de Bragança.

Not exactly.

When D.Manuel died, Salazar convinced D.Amélia and D.Augusta Victoria to abdicate their rights to (most) of D.Manuel's legacy and with all those estates, he created the Fundação da Casa de Bragança.

D.Duarte Nuno protested against that as the Casa de Bragança was the last Morgadio that had survived the Liberal Revolution and should be kept in the family.

Naturally Salazar paid him no attention and just throw the Duke a candy by ordering the Fundação to provide alodgings for the RF when the Ban Law was passed.

That's why the RF lived in Paço de S.Marcos near Coimbra, an estate belonging to the Fundação, where D.Duarte stayed by grace of Salazar.

He did not own the Paço and, after the 1974 revolution, the very revolutionary comitee that took over the Fundação, occuppied the Paço and D.Duarte was forced to leave in 1975.

At a certain time (could not find when) the portugese State bought the Paço and gave it to the University of Coimbra, who still owns it.

PROSPECTO DA UNIVERSIDADE DE COIMBRA 2000-2001

[Elsa M.]

King D. Carlos bed and work rooms, at Palácio das Necessidades (photos from the early 20th century):

http://hemerotecadigital.cm-lisboa.p..._branca_t0.jpg

[Portugal]

Originally Posted by Elsa M.

King D. Carlos bed and work rooms, at Palácio das Necessidades (photos from the early 20th century):

http://hemerotecadigital.cm-lisboa.p..._branca_t0.jpg

Thank you so much Elsa M for all your hard work!Keep it up I will always read and always look for your wonderful contribution!

[Regina]

That's indeed a very good link, Elsa! How interesting to see his bed and work rooms, and the article is very well written. It says King D. Carlos decorated the rooms himself. Well, he was an Artist after all :)

[Menarue]

I don´t know if this has been mentioned before but it is a little standing joke here in Portugal that the Palace shown in Elsa´s post has the translation "The Palace Of Necessities) and in Lisbon there is a cemetery called "The Cemetery of Pleasure" all coincidence of course but amusing...
I saw an exhibition once of D.Carlos´s watercolours and he was a very talented artist.

[marlene]

I went to Sintra in March and it was very beautiful.Our guide told us that The dukes of Braganza lived nearby but we never saw their house.Does anyone have a photo of it?

[Menarue]

The Duke of Braganza lives in a very nice but modest looking house in Sintra.
Someone might have a photograph but it is more likely that people who don´t know, just walk past it.

[Elsa M.]

Originally Posted by marlene

Our guide told us that The dukes of Braganza lived nearby but we never saw their house.Does anyone have a photo of it?

You can find several photos at this forum... for example here:

Monarchy of Portugal 1: 2004 - February 2006
Monarchy of Portugal 1: 2004 - February 2006

[Tilla]

I remember very well having seen the marriage of the Dukes of Braganza on Television, which was very impressive.

[Menarue]

I remember mainly the cake, it was enormous and when they gave the ingredients it was something like 500 eggs (and the other ingredients had quantities to match, such as almonds, sugar etc), they said at the time it was a traditional royal cake made in the Algarve. It was fairly plainly iced with their initials and a crown on it. Perhaps Elsa has a photo. It was a really beautiful wedding.

[Elsa M.]

Originally Posted by Menarue

Perhaps Elsa has a photo.

There's a couple of photos posted the wedding thread:

HRH D. Duarte Pio, Duke of Bragança & Isabel de Herédia 1995

[Menarue]

Thanks Elsa, that cake looked scrumptious..... (and not at all fattening of course LOL).

[Alberto2244]

Página/12 :: turismo

[tlg00]

Some lovely pictures of the interiors of a few of the Portuguese palaces can be found at this site:

Palácios - a set on Flickr

Necessidades and Ajuda are both included in the gallery.

[amedea]

Is it possible to visit Belem Palace and Necessidades Palace even if the host the precidency and the foreign minister?

[Elsa M.]

Yes, it is possible to visit those palaces, although not everyday. Belém at least organizes guided tours on Saturdays...