PORTUGAL: MAFRA

 June 26, 2022

We hadn't had a car in Lisbon, and we were very glad about that. Parking would have been impossible, not to mention navigating the tangle of streets. However, we DID want a car for the rest of our trip, which would include a lot of driving between cities, and we chose hotels partly for their parking accommodations.

We had arranged a car through Eurocar with pick-up at the airport at 8:00 AM.  The guy behind the counter ran the most aggressive upgrade pressure we have ever experienced.  He told us our economy-level car was too small for our luggage (which was all carry-on, nothing checked at the airport). Then he said it had a small tank for such large distances we would be driving. (Portugal is the size of the state of Indiana.) Then he said we really need a car that took diesel fuel because it was much cheaper than regular fuel in Portugal. He offered us a Jeep for "just a little more money." Bob just kept saying no, and eventually we drove away in our [small] Renault.

Our first destination of several we had planned for the day was Mafra, which is home to one of Portugal's 17 World Heritage Sites. It is located about 22 miles north-northwest of Lisbon.

So what makes Mafra, a city of less than 80,000 people, so special? And what is the tourist-drawing UNESCO site?

The answer to both questions is hard to miss.

The massive palace complex includes a basilica, king's and queens palaces (yes, two palaces), a monastery, a library, gardens, and royal hunting grounds. It's so big that I had to take a panorama shot (above) to fit it all in one photo, and even with that I am missing the grounds. Otherwise, I could only get sections of it.

The complex was commissioned in the early 1700s by King João (John) V as part of a vow he made that if his wife gave him children, he would build a convent. She bore six children, four of whom survived to adulthood. The complex is considered one of the finest examples of Baroque and Neoclassical architecture in Portugal. The building covers almost 10 acres. The overall length is 761 feet. Quoting from information at the site: "Such magnificence was only made possible by the gold that pored into the country from Brazil at the time . . .." 

We started with the basilica, which is the center point of the structure. The two bell towers include 92 bells from Flanders, the largest historical set in the world.

The paintings and sculptures throughout were created by the most important Italian and Portuguese artists of the day,.

Note the crimson and gold umbraculum on the left of the altar (below, left) as the audience sees it, a sign that this is a basilica. It is opened when the Pope comes for a visit. What I like to call the Mary Chapel (below right) . . . 

. . . has an exquisite bas relief depiction of the Annunciation.

Another chapel shows Mary being crowned the Queen of Heaven.

The Mafra Basilica has one of the most beautiful floors we saw on our trip:

. . . and the ceiling wasn't bad either.

There are statues of saints in niches all around the nave, but my favorites included John the Baptist and St. Joseph:

Angels Michael and Gabriel:

. . . and Apostles Peter and Paul:

It was fun to see a fully decked-out scout troop in the Basilica.

Perhaps the most sacred spot in the Basilica is the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament. It has a sign--in four languages--telling visitors to keep silent.

There are a variety of depictions of the crucifixion. I found the diorama style (left) fairly unusual.

Next, the palace. I was never sure if we were in the queen's or king's side of the palace. At some point we much have crossed over from one to the other, but I'm not sure how that works. All I can say is that the palaces are WAY over the top.

First, they are full of wonderful art. This piece caught my attention. Who is the young woman behind between Mary and Joseph? Is it a midwife? The shepherd's wife? 

Natividade / Nativity attributed to Jose de Almeida, c. 1760

Then there is the palace itself. I'm sorry for the following flood of exclamation points, but I can't help myself.

The ceilings!

The doorways!

The hallways that go on and on and on! The entire complex has 1200 rooms, more than 4700 doors and window, 156 staircases, and 29 patios and courtyards.

The private living quarters!

A billiards room!

A hunter's paradise!

Wouldn'[t you just love this living room set made of antlers and hides? (Me neither.)

I really appreciated this model of the "Royal Building of Mafra." It helped me understand how we got in about 10,000 steps here!

Information included with this model notes that it is on a scale of 1/150 and was made in 2017 by Manuel Gaspar of Porto. A plaque states in Portuguese and English:

The palace-convent of Mafra was built on the order of King João V (1689-1750), according to the architecture and direction of João Frederico Ludovice and the collaboration of the chief engineer Custódio Vieira, having the work begun the 17 of November of 1717. It is one of the most unique European baroque monuments, st a high standard in the fields of art, architecture, engineering, as well as in secular and religious culture, music, medicine, science, and technology.

The ultimate destination for the tourist willing to walk the miles of hallways in the palaces is the 280-foot long Rococo library. The shelves hold over 36,000 leather-bound volumes dating from the 14th to 19th centuries. 

How do you keep bugs from eating up these old texts? Pesticides? Nope. Bats. Yep. Tiny bats are sleeping behind the books or in the palace garden. and come out at night (after the library is closed, of course) to feed. Fun stuff.

Based on the interesting English translation of an explanation in Portuguese, I think the library is also climate-controlled.

Conde Nast Traveller, Veranda, Wayfaring Views, and many other sites rate the Mafra Palace Library as one of the most beautiful libraries in the world. 

Natural light streams in from the numerous windows

The room is in the shape of a cross, as if it is a cathedral itself.

We admired a few more bits of art and architecture on our way back to the exit, including this really ugly crying baby bust. Maybe he/she did not like the sleeping arrangements, although that crib looks pretty sweet to me.

Speaking of ugly, how about this wild boar head? It is not something I would want to nail up on the wall in MY palace. and the private chapel are part of the same decorating scheme, but at least the 4700 windows (okay, some of that number are doors) offer a lovely alternate view.

And of course the palace has its own in-house chapel. 

By the time we finally walked all the way back to the entrance, we were quite hungry as we had not taken time for breakfast in our rush to get on the road. Lucky for us, there is a nice (but extremely crowded) café across the street. Fradinho means "little brother" in English and doces conventuars means "convent sweets."  

We each got a sandwich and a Coke Zero, and we shared a freshly squeezed orange juice. We couldn't resist also devouring four of the beautiful pastries. It's a wonder we didn't end up in a Carb Coma after we finished.