I couldn't get pregnant to bring an heir to the Crown. Once Bishop Nuno da Cunha and Franciscan monk Antonio de San Jose met by chance in the palace, and, talking about the queen's sterility, the bishop asked the monk, who was considered a saint, to recommend the king to God. The brother replied in the spirit of the Roman Sibyls: "The king will have children if he wants it." The bishop was surprised, and a few days later he asked the monk for an explanation of his unusual words and received in response: “Let the king promise to build a monastery in the city of Mafra, dedicated to St. Anthony, and he will immediately have an heir. " As soon as King João V heard of this, he made a solemn oath to build a monastery if he had children. And a few weeks after the vow, the queen was pregnant! By the way, later on, Queen Mary Anne had six children.
In fulfillment of his vow, by decree of the king, the design of the monastery began. The original project envisaged the construction of a monastery for 13 Franciscan monks, the number of which subsequently increased to 80. Finally, in 1729, King João V decided to expand the building to 300 monks, which required a complete redesign of the building plans. Only three projects were submitted for the new competition: Italian architects Antonio Canevari and Filippo Juvarra and German architect Joan Frederico Ludoviche. The winner of the competition was the project of the latter, probably due to the great experience of working in Italy.
3.
The foundation stone of the palace was laid with fanfare in 1717. The construction cost was estimated at 200,000 cruzados, that is, 400,000 gold francs. At first, about 20,000 people of all trades worked on the construction site daily, but when the plan was expanded in 1729 and the king promised to consecrate the church in 1730, the indicated number of workers increased to 52,000, plus about 7,000 soldiers were involved in guarding the construction site. The consecration of the church took place on October 22, 1730, on the 41st anniversary of the king, and was accompanied by a festival lasting more than eight days, marked by its colossal splendor. The luxurious decoration of the palace went along with its construction. Orders for items related to worship and other decorations were often received by the best workshops in Rome, Venice, Milan, Genoa, Liège, France and Holland.
4.
The cost of the entire monument is unknown. Some researchers estimate it at 28, 48 and even 54 million cruzados (56, 96 and 108 million gold francs). The construction was paid for with gold and diamonds coming from Brazil, then a Portuguese colony. The palace occupies a huge area of 4 hectares, its plan is close to square. The structure is undoubtedly heavy, almost without grace, but it is not as gloomy as that of the El Escorial Monastery, and is a wonderful and majestic example of Italian Renaissance architecture, a remarkable building, slender, homogeneous and harmonious in its ensemble. As far as possible, I will refer to the numbers noted in the published plan.
5.
In total, there are about 1200 halls and rooms, 4700 doors and windows and 156 staircases. The scale of the palace is such that the kings preferred to use its halls not so much for ceremonial receptions as for Everyday life usually on hunting trips... Some travelers have tried to view Mafra as a copy of El Escorial, although the differences between the two buildings are quite large. This valuation error is analogous to equating the palace of Queluz with Versailles. Due to the departure of the royal family to Brazil due to the First French invasion in 1807, Mafra was abandoned. Most her wealth, including luxurious furniture, the king took with him to Brazil. For this reason, and also because of the poor maintenance of the building, over time, the former splendor has faded. The church, however, is still distinguished by its valuable artistic decorations.
6*.
The imposing façade, built from local limestone, is 220 m wide and overlooks the city of Mafra. At each end of the façade, there is a square tower with a convex dome. Church built from white marble, located in the center of the main façade, symmetrically surrounded on both sides by the royal palace. The king, eager to compete with the splendor of Rome, sought architectural advice from his ambassador to the Vatican, who sent him small models of important Roman religious buildings. The Benedictine balcony in the center of the façade bears a clear reference to the balcony of St. Peter's in the Vatican. But this balcony was more intended for the king, as a symbol of his power, than for the blessings of a priest.
7.
The two church towers, 68 m high, are inspired by the towers of the Basilica of Sant'Agnese in Agone by the Roman architect Francesco Borromini. Their two carillons contain a total of 92 (according to other sources, 109) church bells, cast in 1730 in Antwerp. The heaviest bells weigh 725 arrobs each, or about 9180 kg. The smallest is just over 1 arroba (about 15 kg). The total weight of the bells is probably 217 tons. The king was informed that one carillon would cost him 400,000 reais, which was an astronomical price for such a small country as Portugal. Offended by such a remark, King João V is said to have replied, "Well, if it's that cheap, I'll have two." These carillons make up the largest historical collection in the world.
8*.
The towers are connected by two rows of Corinthian columns. In the top row are the statues of St. Dominica ( Carlo monaldi) and St. Francis ( Carlo monaldi), carved in Carrara marble, standing in a niche on each side of the balcony. In the bottom row are the statues of St. Clara ( Giovanni Battista Maini) and St. Elizabeth of Hungary ( Giovanni Battista Maini).
9*.
In the tympanum of the pediment there is a relief slab of jasper ( Giuseppe Lironi), which depicts the Mother of God, the Holy Child and St. Anthony.
10.
The Mafra School of Sculpture was founded during the reign of King José I, successor of King João V. Since the National Palace of Mafra was in great need of sculptors, both local and from abroad, it became the location of the Academy of Sculpture, headed by the Italian Alessandro Giusti (1715 -1799). Among the teachers were several famous sculptors such as José de Almeida, Claude de Laprad (1682-1738) and Giovanni Antonio da Padova. In the academy, for the decoration of the Basilica of Mafra, all the retablos were created from marble and jasper (the author is considered the director of the School, Alessandro Giusti). At the same time, the statues of the basilica were created by specially invited sculptors from Italy.
In the narthex (the names of the vestibule and the entrance of Galilee are also often found), there is a group of large sculptures made of Carrara marble, installed in niches and representing the patron saints of several monastic orders.
11.
Some sources indicate that there are 22 statues in the lobby. But this number seems to me very high, since I could see only 10 such works of art there.
12*. St. Bernard of Clairvaux ( Giuseppe Rusconi), St. Benedict of Nursia ( Giuseppe Rusconi), St. Vincent of Saragossky, St. Sebastian ( Carlo monaldi), St. Bruno Cologne ( Giuseppe Lironi) and St. Jean de Mata ( Filippo della Valle).
thirteen*. St. Ignatius de Loyola ( Agostino Corsini), St. John of God ( Agostino Corsini), St. Teresa of Avila ( Carlo monaldi) and St. Philip Neri ( Carlo monaldi).
14. Decoration above the main portal to the basilica. 
The church was built in the classical form of a Latin cross, 58.5 m long and 43 m wide (including the side chapels). The main nave is only 16.5 m wide and impresses visitors up to the vault (21.5 m).
15*.
16*.
Local pink marble is used in abundance in the interior, combined with white marble in various combinations. Multi-colored floor patterns are repeated on the ceiling.
17*.
18.
The cylindrical vault rests on fluted Corinthian semi-columns that stand between the chapels on the sides of the nave.
19*.
The dome in the middle cross is also inspired by the dome of the church of St. Agnes. The height of the dome is 70 m, diameter is 13 m, with a small lantern at the intersection of four arcs. It was the first dome built in Portugal.
20.
The dome, imitating the dome of St. Peter's in the Vatican, consists of 4 parts: a drum, a dome, a lantern and a dome of a lantern, and is thus double, formed by two concentric domes. This is an undeniably beautiful and magnificent work of art, one of the finest of its kind, and strikingly enhances the perspective of the basilica. The lantern was carved from a single piece of stone, but was partially destroyed after being struck by lightning in 1766.
21.
The front of the church is very interesting. Both sculptures and paintings were used in its design. Through the windows above the paintings, the royal family could watch the religious ceremonies.
22*.
23.
24. In the hand of one character is a bowl of blood, in the other - a heart ( Alessandro giusti).
25.
The aisles on the sides of the nave, through the side chapels, contain 40 marble statues. The ensemble of statues made by Italian craftsmen on the orders of the king is the most significant collection of Italian Baroque sculptures outside of Italy
26.
To my greatest regret, to find detailed information about the basilica, especially about the side chapels, I did not succeed, despite many hours of searching on the Internet, including on the official website. I even wrote a tearful letter to the management museum complex Mafra asking for help with the identification of the chapels and their retablo. Believe it or not, a week later I received a reply letter with almost all the answers to my questions! My gratitude to the staff of Mafra knows no bounds. The chapels will be described starting from the entrance to the left in a clockwise direction. In these chapels, the retablos stand out, as well as the relief lunettes with scenes from the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which reveal the perfect sculptural work of the Mafra school.
First chapel on the left - Chapel of Christ(Holy christ chapel)
27. General view 
Mafra is a small town in Portugal with a population of only 11.3 thousand inhabitants. It was first built as a working camp for the builders of the Palace.
MAH + ARA - Mafra, which means "great altar".Apparently therefore, it is in this place November 17, 1717 the first stone of the now famous all over the world was laid, which is one of the seven wonders Portugal, to this day remains among the most ambitious construction projects in the world of the Order of S. Francisco. The Portuguese joke that half of the Brazilian gold that went to the royal treasury went to the construction of the monastery, and the other half graced the covers of books in the monastery library. . The construction of this complex lasted for 13 years, 1717-1750 as a grandiose project of King Joao V , who, in honor of the birth of the heir, decided to outshine the Spanish Escurial. At first, in 1717, a very modest room for 13 Franciscans arose, but as money came to the royal treasury, it grew to 300 people.The German architect of the Italian school Johann Friedrich Ludwig and the Portuguese sculptor Joaquin Machado de Castro made the king's dream come true.
Mafra National Palace - a monumental palace - a monastery in the Baroque style and Italianized neoclassicism. Its size is so enormous that it dwarfs the city. At each end of the façade is a square tower with a convex dome, typical of Central European architecture. The entire complex consists of the palace itself, a monastery and a church.
Judge for yourself:The length of the corridor between the two royal towers is 232 m, an area of 40 thousand square meters, 1200 rooms (800 were intended for living and 400 utility rooms), more than 4500 doors and windows, 154 stairs, 3 kitchens.
Castle
Consisted of two towers. Each of the turrets functioned independently: with its own kitchens, bedrooms, storage rooms and on the ground floor rooms for maids and their own guards. Spacious royal rooms are located on the second floor. The king's chambers are at the end of the palace, while the queen's chambers are 220 meters away at the other end.
Since King Juan VI took with him to Brazil some of the finest art and furniture from the palace when the royal family fled in 1808 from advancing French troops, most of the rooms have now been restored to their original style and little furniture remains in the palace.
One of the most remarkable rooms is room Hunting trophies (
SaladosTrofeus). The king's hunting predilections can be judged by the interior of this hall, the furniture of which is made of deer antlers and covered with suede. Antlers also adorn the walls interspersed with boar and deer heads; the chandelier in the center of the room is a masterpiece that defies description, and even the candlesticks are made of deer antlers.
Diana's HallPainting on the ceiling representing Diana, the goddess of the hunt, accompanied by nymphs
Throne room -Designed for royal meetings.
Torreã oNorteThe king's private chambers, used until the death of Ferdinand of Saxe Cobourgo (1816/1885), consort of Queen Mary II , thereafter used for important guests visiting Mafra ..
corridorOne of the largest corridors of the palaces in Europe, 232 m from one end to the other, connecting the North Tower, the rest of the king and the rest of the king in the southern part.
SaladosDestinosHall of Providence named after the painting on the ceiling.
Game room
The guards arrived at the Palace only when the royal family was in Mafra.
Hall of Blessing SaladaBençã o . This one is the center of the main façade. On these balconies, the royal family attended religious rites, and from the balcony, King D. Joao V appeared to people. This part of the palace impressed with its scale, style and amount of marble. The fact is that the entire gallery runs directly above the basilica and is a kind of large balcony with a stunning view. There is a bust of King João in the center of the room. V.
King Joao 5.
King D's room... PedroVor Red room or waiting room
King's bedroom.
Torreão Sul - Tower South - Queen's private quarters. This side looks much more modest than the king's side. Even the queen's bed is lower and narrower than the king's
Monastery
The monastery was intended to house 300 monks. There were 2 isolators- for infectious patients and simply patients. On each bed was posted the appointment, the prescriptions prescribed by the doctor for the patient, so that the nurses knew and correctly followed his instructions.
nursing room.
Brother's cell.Such an unusual bed - was intended for the mentally ill or patients with a very high temperature, with double high backs ( Xviii century). This system made it possible to take care of the sick so that they did not fall out of bed.
Library-83.5 m long and 9.5 m wide, 13 m high located behind the second floor and is in fact the main hall of this palace, rivaling the splendor of the library Melk Abbey in Austria... Designed by Manuela Caetano de Sousa (ManuelCaetanodeSousa). The magnificent floor is covered with pink and gray-white marble tiles. Rococo-style wooden bookshelves are located on the side walls in two rows separated by a balcony with wooden rails.
They contain more than 40,000 volumes (including 1,000 manuscripts) in leather binding, representing important books that highlight the knowledge of the Western World from the 14th to the 19th century.
Made of stones of various colors, the center is domed, rests on four arches and is closed by stone carvings of marble. 1809 year, was organized monk John Santa Anna... It is interesting to note that compiling catalog remains to this day according to his scheme. In addition to natural methods of preserving books, for example, placing them tightly against the wall (thus preventing the possibility of moisture), there are also several bats that eat any insect that can destroy this invaluable treasure. that in the monastery, in the palace and in the library in particular, there is no heating. And given the size of the library hall, just the heat coming in through the windows and doors in the summer would not have been enough. That's why walls - heating pads the libraries were built according to a special project: they have an air cushion that, during hot summer months heats up and, gradually giving off this heat if necessary throughout the year, maintains the optimal temperature in the library for storing books.
Basilica (church inside)
The church, built in white marble, is located in the center of the main façade, symmetrically flanked on both sides by the royal palace
There is a legend that Flemish bell masters were so surprised at the size of their commission that they asked to be paid in advance. The king doubled the amount offered and doubled the number of bells. 96 bells were installed, with a total weight of over 200 tons (made in Antwerp, Belgium and France. They can be heard at a distance of 24 km). These selections of bells constitute the largest historical collection in the world.
In the interior of both the church and the entire palace and monastery, local marble is used: white, gray and pink. Floor patterns are repeated in various combinations on the walls and ceiling. Uhora- a huge seven-lamp candlestick. Lamps come out of the mouths of seven snakes. Above the main altar, reaching up to the ceiling, between two bowed angels - 4 meters jasper crucifix. The chapel is decorated with bronze items from Antwerp. The tall one strikes the imagination, 65 meter the dome, and 13 m in diameter, was the first dome built in Portugal.There are 6 organs in the church !!! and 11 chapels.
built according to his plans.
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In the suburbs of Lisbon, there is the largest in Portugal Mafra Palace. It was erected at the beginning of the 18th century on the occasion of the birth of the long-awaited firstborn of the royal couple - João V and his wife Anna of Austria. They built the Mafra Palace, as they say, on a grand scale.
In addition to the traditional premises, it also includes a monastery, a basilica, two towers with bell towers and a simply grandiose library. In total, the palace has 1200 (!) Rooms, and the total area is equal to the area of almost ten football fields.
If you're lucky, during a tour of the Mafra Palace, you can hear the chimes emitted by almost a hundred bells installed on the towers of the building.
Address: Mafra, Terreiro Dom Joao V.
Opening hours: 9:00 - 18:00, Tuesday: closed. The palace is closed: January 1, Easter day, May 1, December 25.
Entrance: 6 EUR.
It is best to get to the Mafra Palace by car or by bus as part of a tour group, because public transport does not go here.
Prices on the page are for March 2019.
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- Where to stay: With an eye on the "excursion" - of course, in numerous hotels and guesthouses, guest houses and hostels in the capital of Portugal, the many-sided Lisbon - here you can find an option for every taste and budget. Sun worshipers are invited to the resorts of the Lisbon Riviera - they are located just 15-30 minutes drive from the capital, so it is not far from historical monuments and nightclubs. Holidays in Sintra are relaxed and unhurried, surrounded by excellent beaches and ancient attractions. It is easier for surfers to stop at Nazar right away.
- What to see: In Lisbon - history Center and the castle of St. George, the oldest district of Alfama, where the facades of the houses are decorated with azulejos tiles, Cathedral, the Monastery of Carmo, the port, the statue of Christ (a copy of the Brazilian one) and magnificent palaces. From the Lisbon Riviera, it is worth taking an excursion to
An apartment worthy of kings is about Mafra Palace, the largest royal palace country. It is so huge that the chambers of the king and queen, located in opposite wings of the building, are almost a quarter of a kilometer apart from each other! And the basilica in the center of the palace is similar in size.
Myths and facts
The reason for the construction of the palace was the birth of the first child from the royal couple, João V and Anna of Austria. Construction work was carried out from 1711 to 1730. Initially, it was assumed that it would be a modest Franciscan monastery, but the improved financial situation of the king adjusted the plans. The ruler decided to outshine the Spanish palace El Escorial, located in the suburbs.
It was the largest and most expensive construction project in the whole. The work was supervised by the German architect Johann Frederic Louis, and for 50 thousand construction workers it was necessary to build a nearby town - Mafra.
Oddly enough, it did not begin to be used as the residence of kings - the rulers came here only to hold ceremonial receptions or to hunt in the local forest.
In 1910, after the fall of royal power, the palace complex was declared national museum... It operates to this day.
What to see
The architectural complex, consisting of the palace itself, the monastery premises and the basilica, occupies almost 4 hectares and is surrounded by a luxurious park.
Mafra Palace was built in the Baroque style. The facade and interior decoration (window sills, steps, columns, etc.) are made of local pink marble.
The length of the facade is 220 m.At its corners there are square towers, and in the center there is a basilica with two towers 68 m high. The church towers, decorated with Corinthian columns and statues of saints, house the world's largest collection of bells - only 114 pieces. They were cast in Antwerp at the request of the king. By the way, local bell chime heard at a distance of 24 km!
In terms of the basilica it has the shape of a Catholic cross, its length is 68 m, and its width is 16.5 m. There are 11 chapels in the shrine. The interior is decorated with images of jasper, bronze items, sculptures, the floor and walls are lined with ornaments of white, gray and pink marble. The highlight of the temple is 6 organs, separate fragments of which are made of gilded Brazilian wood.
All in all, the palace has 880 halls, different in design, 4,700 doors and windows, 160 staircases! One of the attractions is the hunting hall, where furniture is made of deer antlers and skins.
In one of the halls (length 83 m) there is a unique library, where more than 35 thousand old books are kept. Interestingly, bats were placed in the library to fight insect pests, and the walls of the room were designed as large heating pads, because there is no heating in the palace, and in the library in particular.
The premises of the former monastery houses the Museum of Religious Art, with an exposition of a collection of church vestments and utensils. Here you can also visually see the surviving household items of the Franciscan monks.
The most famous landmarks included in the Seven Wonders of Portugal.
Mafra National Palace (Palacio Nacional de Mafra) is a masterpiece of decorative, engineering and architecture, a symbol of the generosity at the disposal of the wealth that Portugal received from its colonies.
I have already mentioned the Mafra Palace in my blog, but due to the fact that many questions are asked about it in my personal correspondence, I decided to combine all the questions in one post and answer all at once.
What will come of it, judge for yourself.
According to the king's idea, the Monastery (Convento) of Mafra was supposed to compete with the Spanish palace of El Escorial.
For its construction, the German architect Johann Frederic Louis was invited; about 5 thousand people were involved in the construction of the palace, of which about one and a half thousand died during more than 13 years of construction.
In the park opposite the palace, in the shade of a huge linden tree, the king himself stands and pensively looks at the creation built according to his plans.
During the construction of the palace, samples of Roman religious buildings were used, which, at the request of the king, were sent to him by the Portuguese ambassador to the Vatican.
The facade of the palace and its interior decoration are made of local marble, which was mined 12 kilometers from Mafra in the villages of Peru Pinheiro, Montelavar, Lameiras.
One of these columns was lost during transportation and for a long, very long time, lay on the side of the road. About 20 years ago, it was installed on a pedestal with a commemorative inscription in the place where it was lost 200 years ago.
For whatever reason the column was forgotten or lost, history is silent about this.
Quarries for the extraction of marble and factories for its processing are open to this day and the beautiful pink Lios marble, which is mined only here, is popular not only in Portugal, but also far beyond its borders.
Let's return to the palace, the size of which is so huge that it overshadows the city itself.
The palace covers an area of 38 thousand square meters, the length of its facade is 220 meters. At each end of the façade is a square tower with a convex dome.
In the center of the facade there is a church with its enormous height (68 meters) church towers.
Between the towers there are two rows of Corinthian columns, between which on both sides of the balcony there are statues of St. Dominic and St. Francis, in the bottom row of the statues of St. Anne and St. Elizabeth of Hungary. Sculptures madefamous Italian masters of that timefrom the famous Carrara marble from which Mekelangelo sculpted his David.
There is a legend that when the king named the amount of remuneration for the work, the bell craftsmen of Antwerp did not believe and asked for payment in advance, for which the king doubled the amount.
The church itself, inside made in the form of a Catholic cross, amazes with splendor, luxury and beauty. It is quite long - 63 meters and narrow - 16.5 meters.
In the aisles on the sides, there are 58 statues - the work of Roman sculptors and altarpieces in jasper, made by sculptors of the local School.
The choir has a huge seven-lamp candlestick. Lamps come out of the mouths of seven snakes.
Above the main altar, reaching up to the ceiling, between two bowed angels, there is a four-meter crucifix made of jasper.
The chapel is decorated with bronze items from Antwerp. The tall, seventy-meter dome amazes the imagination.
And, of course, one of the main values of the church cannot be ignored, as many as 6 organs made of partially gilded Brazilian wood.
The organs were built during the occupation of Mafra by French troops between 1792 and 1807.
In the interior of both the church and the entire palace and monastery, local marble is used: white, gray and pink. Floor ornamentsin various combinationsrepeated on the walls and ceiling.
Behind the church there is a monastery for three hundred monks.
In addition to the cells, the kitchen, the local infirmary, intended for residents of the monastery with minor ailments and an isolation ward for patients with infectious diseases, is presented for visitors.
On both sides of the basilica, the royal palace is symmetrically located, with the rooms of the king and queen on different sides, at a distance of almost a quarter of a kilometer from each other. When the king had a desire to meet his wife, she was "informed" about this by a loud trumpet signal.
In general, the size of the palace-monastery of Mafra, like everything in it, amazes the imagination: there are 1,200 rooms in it, each of which is not similar to one another, 4,700 doors and windows, about 160 staircases.
Despite the enormous size of the palace and the countless number of rooms, no one lived in the royal palace all the time. It was used mainly for religious holidays and sometimes for summer holidays.
The king also came here to hunt in the local protected forest.
The king's hunting preferences can be judged by the interior of the hunting hall, the furniture of which is made of deer antlers and covered with suede.
Antlers also adorn the walls interspersed with boar and deer heads.
Well, and the chandelier in the center of the hall is generally a masterpiece that defies description. You must see her.
Speaking about the National Palace of Mafra, about its halls, one cannot ignore one of its main halls - a huge library. The library belonged to the monastery and was built by the monks at its expense. They say that when the monks had accumulated many books, they turned to the king with a request to build a library, to which the king replied that there were no funds in the treasury and, if the monastery had money, he, the king, gave them permission to build the library on his own.
And the monks set to work.
Binding at the local seminary
books, combining several of them into one volume. A special, very hard wood for the shelves was delivered from Brazil.
The walls of the library were built according to a special project: they have an air cushion that heats up during the hot summer months and, gradually releasing this heat if necessary throughout the year, maintains the optimal temperature in the library for storing books.
It should be noted that there is no heating in the monastery, in the palace and in the library in particular. And given the size of the library hall - 88 meters long, 9.5 meters wide and 13 meters high, just the heat coming in through the windows and doors in summer would not be enough. Therefore, unique heating walls were designed.
Bats live in the library to fight insects.
Thanks to these methods, it is still possible to preserve an invaluable collection of more than 35,000 volumes of leather-bound books.
How to get to Mafra, what to see in it and in its surroundings, the schedule of the palace and prices for entry tickets you can see
