The Henrique Mendonça Palace, located on Rua Marquês da Fronteira, has been restored to house the global Imamat Ismaili (Ismaili community) headquarters.
Frederico Valsassina is the architecture in charge of the project, which has carefully recovered the stone, original plaster and all the interior images, wood and paintings. The façades have been fully maintained: the iron frames are preserved and the wooden frames have been restored. In terms of chandeliers and lighting, a French company was in charge of executing this part of the project. The complex, meticulous works also include construction of a parking lot and two elevators.
The landscaper Iñaki Zoilo also worked on the palace restoration, and oversaw the rehabilitation of the historical, 3-hectare garden. The Ricardo Espírito Santo Silva Foundation also worked on the project, overseeing restoration of decorational elements, such as the tiles of Manuel Gustavo Bordalo Pinheiro, the wooden and bronze panels, decorative painting, stucco and textiles.
Commissioned by Henrique José Monteiro de Mendonça (1864-1942) to the architect Ventura Terra in 1902, the Italian-influenced, classical architecture palace received the Valmor Prize in 1909, the year of its inauguration, and is now considered a national monument.
Engexpor was chosen to manage this project and perform the rehabilitation works for this monumental building, the second undertaken with the Ismaili community in Lisbon.
https://engexpor.com/

Mendonça Palace

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The Bemposta Palace (Palácio da Bemposta), also known as the Paço da Rainha (Queen’s Palace), is a neoclassical palace in the area of Bemposta, now the civil parish of Pena, in Lisbon. It was originally built for Queen Dowager Catherine of Braganza on her return from London to Lisbon and served for many years as her residence. It was then transferred to the Casa do Infantado (the property of the younger son of the King of Portugal), before becoming the residence of John VI of Portugal until his death. After Queen Maria II of Portugal transferred its title to the Army, it became the Portuguese Military Academy.
History
Eight years after the death of Charles II of England (in 1685), who left no legitimate son as heir to the throne, Queen Catherine of Braganza, daughter of John IV, returned to Portugal in 1693. Without a home in Lisbon, she resided in the homes of various noblemen for a time, including the Count of Redondo in Santa Maria or the palace of the Count of Aveiras, in Belém. She decided to purchase from Francisca Pereira Teles, the noble homes and land in Bemposta area in the centre of Lisbon, in order to build her residence. A chapel dating back to 1501 existed there and she requested the architect, João Antunes (1642–1712), to incorporate a chapel in the site plan under the invocation of Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Our Lady of the Conception). The project began in 1694, with Antunes coming on board in 1702, and by 1702 the Queen had already begun to live in the palace. The building was a mixed construction: limestone and marble was used in many of the flourishes, but the structure was built of reinforced steel, wood and masonry.
Catherine died here on 31 December 1705, leaving in her will the Palace of Bemposta to her brother, King Peter II of Portugal, who in 1668 had become regent on behalf of his mentally unstable elder brother Afonso VI of Portugal and king in 1683. On 29 October 1706 a royal chapel was constructed.
In 1707, King John V, made the house and lands part of the House of the Infantado, so that it became the residence of the Portuguese monarchy's Infantes and Infantas of the realm, such as Infante Francis, Duke of Beja, King John V's brother and Lord of the Infantado, and his son João da Bemposta, named so for having resided in the palace.
After the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, the palace required extensive reconstruction, including the royal chapel, which was completely destroyed. Under the direction of Manuel Caetano de Sousa (1742–1802), the building was remodeled and an elaborate chapel was constructed, with a rectangular vestibule and nave and polychromatic mosaics. In main altar, a portrait of the Royal Family, Queen Maria I and the Infante John with the court, in an iconographic representation of Lisbon, seen from the Castle of São Jorge. The success of the chapel, came from the contribution of the woodworkers from the Church of São Roque (and in particular the Chapel of São João Baptista). A similar design esthetic was also brought in from the Royal Chapel in the Queluz Palace. The Bemposta Palace had its own singers (since 1759) that incorporated an organist and singers, that were contracted and regularly performed in Lisbon. But, the organ had already been spirited away to the Palace of Queluz by 1778.
The palace too began to be abandoned, as the royals move to other preferred lodgings: by 1798 the palace was already abandoned and falling into ruins.
In 1803, the Prince-Regent, (future King John VI) lived at Bemposta. Even after the return of the Royal Family, in 1821, John returned to Bemposta, and with the intent of making the residence more habitable, began various renovations in 1822, 1824 and 1825, principally in the rooms behind the chapel and on the floor near the gardens. At Bemposta the politics of King John VI's reign played-out: including the events of the insurrections known as the Vila-Francada and Abrilada, and his eventual death (he died in his personal quarters, on 10 March 1826).
In 1828, King Miguel began holding weekly audiences in the Palace.
The designation as Casa do Infantado was removed in 1833, and the Palace is incorporated into the Crown's property. Until 18 March 1834, a formal political administration occupied the Bemposta Palace, but it was vacated and returned to Crown estates under Queen Maria II. Yet, the Queen later transferred the palace to the Army in 1837, where, after 1851, it began to function as an Army Academy (after extensive remodelling in 1850–1851), where, under General Bernardo de Sá Nogueira de Figueiredo, 1st Marquess of Sá da Bandeira, the building was expanded and interior remodelled. In 1853, the chapel, until this time a private hermitage, began to be open to the faith community. With changes in the urban planning in Lisbon, the area in front of the palace became reduced, and traffic along the avenue resulted in the shortening of the main outside staircase in 1860 (with the widening of the road).
In 1944, there was a complete restoration of the chapel, followed in 1997 by a renovation of the electrical and fire prevention systems in order to meet safety standards.
On 13 September 1999, an analysis of the architectural state was begun by the Direcção-Geral dos Edifícios e Monumentos Nacionais (DGEMN) (General-Directorate for Buildings and National Monuments). The Palace pertains to the Portuguese Military Academy, and the coat-of-arms of Queen Catherine are still visible above the principal doors of the building.
In 2001, a monument to Queen Catherine was installed in front of the buildings façade.
Architecture
The Palace of Bemposta is located in the Largo do Paço da Rainha on the eastern border of Pena with Anjos. The principal building, used by the military academy, fronts the Largo (square) across from the clock-tower and Mitelo Palace, in proximity of the Quartel do Cabeço da Bola, Jardim do Campo Mártires da Pátria (Garden of Campo Mártires da Pátria) and Miguel Bombarda Hospital.
The front façade includes two staircases that ribbon towards the main floor and veranda with balusters. The main arched doorway are flanked by two sets of tall windows, while a secondary floor veranda with main window is also flanked by two other sets (the central window, which is much taller than the others, is surmounted by sculpted coat-of-arms of the royal family. This façade is completed by a triangular wall adorned by the relief of two seraphs adoring the Virgin Mary (by the sculptor Joaquim de Barros Laborão, surmounted by a cross above a plinth. In the chapel's atrium there are two niches with statutes of Elizabeth of Portugal and John the Baptist (begun by José de Almeida and completed by Barros Laborão).
Chapel
In the main chapel, there is a figure of the patron saint by the painter José Troni, with pictures of the Royal family in the foreground (including Maria I, John VI and Carlota Joaquina) completed by the English painter Thomas F. Hickey. On the ceiling of the chapel, in an ovular mould, there is a painting of the Virgin attributed to Pedro Alexandrino de Carvalho (1730–810). Along the lateral walls are pulpits delimited by balusters, while on the left side the organ. The lateral altars, with the exception of the second epistle, are marked by the acronym of Pedro Alexandrino. On the roof, in the middle of a complex Baroque scene is a painting by Pedro Alexandrino representing the Assumption of Mary, encircled by a crown of cherubs and four doctors of the church: Saint Augustine, Saint Ambrose, Saint Gregory Magno and Saint Jerome, while the painter also complete a painting of the Transfiguration on the roof of the chapel. The sacristy, with access on the left-side of the main altar, is covered in polychromatic azulejos, with a credence table made from Brazilwood.

Bemposta Palace

São Bento Palace (Portuguese: Palácio de São Bento "Saint Benedict's Palace") in Lisbon is the seat of the Assembly of the Portuguese Republic, the parliament of Portugal. Originally constructed in 1598, São Bento has served as the seat of Portugal's parliament since 1834, when the former monastery of the Benedictine Order was dissolved after the Liberal Wars. During the Portuguese constitutional monarchy, the palace served as the seat of the Cortes Gerais, the traditional parliaments of Portugal, until 1910.
São Bento Mansion, the official residence of the Prime Minister of Portugal, is located within the grounds of São Bento Palace.
History
The Palace has its origin in the first Benedictine monastery of Lisbon, established in 1598. In 1615, the monks settled in the area of the Casa da Saúde (Health House), that housed people sick with the plague. The new monastery was built during the 17th century following a Mannerist project by Jesuit architect Baltazar Álvares, later followed by João Turriano. The large building, of rectangular shape, had a church flanked by two towers, four cloisters, dormitories, kitchen, etc. When the construction works of the new building were almost finished, the destructive 1755 Lisbon earthquake damaged it.
Parliament
After the Liberal Revolution (1820) and the suppression of religious orders in Portugal (1834), the monks were expelled from the monastery and the Portuguese Parliament was installed in the building, then called Palácio das Cortes or Parlamento. From then on, the old monastery was systematically adapted to its new functions. The first architect in charge was Possidónio da Silva, who designed the first session rooms.
The Chapter house (meeting place of the monks) of the monastery was totally remodeled by French architect Jean François Colson into a session room in 1867. The Portuguese Chamber of Peers met here until 1910, followed by the Senate and later the Corporative Chamber in this room, until the 1976 Constitution established unicameralism.
In 1895, a fire destroyed the session room of the lower house, and it was necessary to repair and expand the Parliament building. Portuguese architect Miguel Ventura Terra was put in charge of the remodeling project, which lasted until the 1940s. Ventura Terra built a new session room for the lower house (inaugurated in 1903) and altered the facade of the building, adding a neoclassical portico with columns and a triangular pediment. He also remodeled the atrium, the monumental inner stairway and many other rooms. The works were continued in the 1920s by architect Adolfo Marques da Silva.
In the 1940s, during Salazar's Estado Novo regime, the monumental stairway in front of the portico of the Parliament was completed. The stairway was designed by Cristino da Silva, who was also responsible for the project of the gardens in the back of the Palace.
Since Portugal became a democracy after the 1974 Carnation Revolution the area in front of the palace has been the most popular location for demonstrations held in Lisbon.
In 1994-1997 an annex building was constructed near the old Palace. This modern structure was designed by Fernando Távora and allowed for an expansion of the space of the Portuguese Assembly without altering its historical outlook.
The Palace of Saint Benedict has been classified as a National Monument since 2002.
Prime Minister's Residence
Just behind the main building there is a mansion that serves as residence for the Prime Minister of Portugal. The mansion, dated from 1877, was built within the garden of the old monastery. It has been the Prime Minister's official residence since 1938, when Salazar moved in.

São Bento Palace

The Palace of the Marquesses of Fronteira (Portuguese: Palácio dos Marqueses de Fronteira) is a Portuguese palace located in Lisbon, Portugal.
History
The Palace of the Marquesses of Fronteira was built in 1671 as a hunting pavilion to Dom João de Mascarenhas, 1st Marquis of Fronteira, who received his title from King Afonso VI of Portugal for his loyalty to the House of Braganza in the Portuguese Restoration War.
The palace is the private residence of the Marquesses of Fronteira
Palace
The palace is located in a very quiet area, near the Monsanto Forest Park. The house and the garden have glazed tiles representing different themes such as battles or monkeys playing trumpets.
The Room of the Battles has panels representing scenes of the Portuguese Restoration War. They depict the Battle of Montijo (1644), Battle of Arronches (1653), Siege of Badajoz (1658), Battle of the Lines of Elvas (1659), Battle of Ameixial (1663), Battle of Castelo Rodrigo (1664), Battle of Montes Claros (1665), and encounter at Chaves (1667).
The dining room is decorated with portraits representing some members of the Portuguese nobility, painted by artists such as Domingos António de Sequeira.
The chapel, dating from the end of the 16th century, is the oldest part of the palace. The façade is adorned with stones, shells, broken glass and porcelains. It seems that those pieces were used during the palace’s inauguration and were broken on purpose just not to be used again.
In spite of being the current residence of the Marquis of Fronteira some of the rooms, the library and the garden are open to public visits.
The garden
The palace garden, an area of 5,5 hectare, is adorned with Portuguese tiles with pictures that represent the different arts as well as mythological figures. The garden hedges are cut in order to represent the different year seasons. There is also a stone staircase which leads to a wall line with busts of the Kings of Portugal.

Palace of the Marquises of Fronteira

Verride Palace, or the Palace of Santa Catarina, (Portuguese: Palácio de Verride; Palácio de Santa Catarina) is an 18th-century Portuguese palace located in Lisbon, Portugal.
History
Located in the Santa Catarina parish in Lisbon, the palace was built in the 18th century.
In 2003, the palace was acquired for its architecture.
In 2010, the palace became the seat of POP UP LISBOA 2010, an urban artistic movement.
In December 2017, the former palace made its debut as a newly-restored, ultra-chic, 19-room boutique hotel called Verride Palacio de Santa Catarina, in which there's a rooftop bar and gastropub overlooking the Tagus, a swimming pool and a restaurant, Criatura.

Palace of Santa Catarina

Once upon a time there was an elegant Palace, built in 1781, where the aristocracy and bons vivants danced, enjoyed lavish banquets and admired new works of art. A different Palace, with its graceful architecture and its history and experience, that hosted a number of irreverent figures associated with curious expressions in Portuguese, such as “farrobodó” and “à grande e à francesa”.
1726
25 NOVEMBER
On 25 November, the original mansion, then owned by Dom Francisco de Paula de Portugal e Castro, 8th Count Vimioso and 2nd Marquis of Valença, the palace was destroyed by a fierce fire.
1777
2 JUNE
On 2 June, Luís Rebelo de Quintela (? -1782), a Judge of the highest courts in the country, bought land from the Brotherhood of the Sacramento, in the parish of Encarnação, now occupied by the 1st, 2nd and part of the 3rd property on Rua do Alecrim, as well as part of the Cordoaria Nova and Cavalariças da Casa Real situated within the Fernandine walls, with 44.66 m frontage and 47.52 m at the back, as far as Rua do Tesouro (now Rua António Maria Cardoso), which included the ruins of the mansion.
1801
11 DECEMBER
The future 2nd Baron of Quintela and 1st Conde of Farrobo, christened Joaquim Pedro de Quintela, was born in the mansion on Rua do Alecrim, on 11 December. Despite his importance in political, social and cultural life in Portugal at the time, he will always be remembered for his excesses and revels. And intrinsically associated with the Palace is the famous Portuguese expression “farrobodó”.
1807
11 DECEMBER
Junot inspired the expression “à grande à francesa” (in great style). For nine months, the duration of the first French invasion, General Junot (1771-1813) established his headquarters, as well as his official residence, at Quintela Palace. Portugal was devastated by the French troops, who committed great atrocities. But Junot, indifferent to the poverty and misery the invaders also caused in Lisbon, moved into the Quintela Palace, on Rua do Alecrim, where he live in shameless luxury, “à grande e à francesa”.
1808
MARCH
The Dukes of Abrantes, Junot and his wife Laure Permond, organised parties and balls at the Quintela Palace, the most ostentatious of which was to celebrate Epiphany.
1822
APRIL
Significant enlargement of the palace, directed by the architect Joannes Baptista Hilbrath. Also involved in this project were the plasterer Félix Salla, the decorator Giuseppe Cinatti (1808-1879) and the painters António Manuel da Fonseca (1796-1890) and Cirilo Volkmar Machado (1748-1823). The construction of tunnels that allegedly lead to the Teatro de São Carlos and to Cais do Sodré date from this period.
1828
MAY
In 1828, long before airbnb, the owners already did business with the palace and it was rented to the French Consul.
1832
15 MARCH
A decree issued by Dom Miguel, on 15 March, stripped Joaquim Pedro Quintela of all his titles, privileges and rights, forcing him to flee to an English ship anchored in the Tagus to avoid imprisonment. The Union Jack was raised over the palace to prevent it from be sacked by miguelistas. The Baron had supported the cause of Dom Pedro IV with a loan of 30,000 pounds sterling, which is why Dom Miguel decreed that he had 24 hours to leave Lisbon. He was forced to sell all his properties to his friend Lord William Russell, taking refuge, under the name of Mr. Smith, at the home of Diogo Carlos Duff, another English friend.
1869
24 SEPTEMBER
The 1st Count of Farrobo, Joaquim Pedro de Quintela, died on 24 September, in his residence on what was then called Calçada do Alecrim. Following the bankruptcy of Quintela-Farrobo, the palace was rented out, but never lost its class. In 1873 and 1874, it housed the Grémio Literário (Literary Guild).
1874
OCTOBER
Following a long court case that lasted three decades and led to the collapse of the Quintela-Farrobo empire, the palace on Calçada do Alecrim was put up for public auction. It was bought by the capitalist Francisco Augusto Mendes Monteiro, who had immigrated to Brazil, where he married Ana Thereza Carolina de Carvalho, also a Portuguese emigrant, who inherited a large family fortune from her parents, built by her maternal grandfather who had had a monopoly of the trade in coffee, precious stones and sea transport between Brazil and Portugal.
Francisco Augusto Mendes Monteiro’s son, António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro, the famous “Monteiro dos Milhões” (Monteiro the Millionaire), the heir to a great fortune, came to Portugal with his parents when he was still young. He married Perpétua Augusta Carvalho Monteiro, returned to Brazil and then came back to live in Portugal in 1876. He set up home in the Quintela Palace Farrobo, at Rua do Alecrim, 70, the palace that his father Francisco Augusto had bought from the heirs of the Baron of Quintela and Conde Farrobo. A cultured and eccentric figure, he carried out the last major artistic alterations to the palace. Perhaps inspired by his construction of the remarkable Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra. The requests he made of the Italian architect Luigi Manini were numerous and incredible, including the order that the gate to his tomb in the Cemitério dos Prazeres, also full of symbolism, be opened with the same key that opened Quinta da Regaleira and his palace on Rua do Alecrim in Lisbon. António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro kept in this palace his library and valuable collections of art (painting, sculpture, iconography, gold and silver, clocks and watches, etc.) and of natural science (entomology, malacology (invertebrates), ornithology, herbarium, etc.). His collection of Lepidoptera, the 2nd largest in the world, consisted of many thousands of species, some collected by António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro himself. His collection of invertebrates included approximately 10,000 species. The herbarium was considered invaluable and his collection of hummingbirds was also important.
The pavements in the streets of AACM’s properties in Lisbon (and indeed in Quinta da Regaleira) are decorated with hexagrams in basalt on a white background.
1915
The Museu Instrumental Português was housed in Quintela Palace. Its collection consists of approximately five hundred musical instruments. The collection was significantly increased by instruments collected by Alfredo Keil and others from the Lambertini collection (acquired by Carvalho Monteiro), as well as other donations and deposits. Michel’angelo Lambertini was the curator of the Museu Instrumental Português until it was acquired by the Conservatório Nacional (National Conservatory), in 1931.
1923
According to the division of his estate, that property was passed on to his son, Pedro Augusto de Carvalho Monteiro, and Quintela Palace, with a property value of 630 contos, was inherited by his daughter, Maria de Melo de Carvalho Monteiro.
1927
18 APRIL
Maria da Nazaré Monteiro de Almeida married Sebastião José de Carvalho Daun e Lorena – 8th Marquis of Pombal (1903-1965), on 18 April. They had two children, Francisco de Carvalho Daun e Lorena (1928-1929) and Manuel Sebastião de Almeida de Carvalho Daun e Lorena (1930).
1929
Maria de Melo Carvalho Monteiro died and the palace passed on to her daughter, Maria da Nazaré Monteiro de Almeida, who had married the 8th Marquis of Pombal.
1930
Manuel Sebastião de Almeida de Carvalho Daun e Lorena, great-grandson of António Carvalho Monteiro and the future 9th Marquis of Pombal, was born and christened in the palace.
1970
At the end of Augusto Ataíde’s contract, part of Quintela Palace was leased to IADE. The Instituto de Arte e Decoração – Escola Internacional de Decoradores moved here from Rua das Flores. The teachers and staff at IADE included many eminent figures in Portuguese arts: Lima de Freitas, Manuel Lapa, Manuel Costa Martins, Manuel da Costa Cabral, Rafael Salinas Calado, Eduardo Nery, António Pedro, Egídio Álvaro, João Vieira, Keil do Amaral, Artur Rosa, Júlio Gil, Jorge Viana, Manuel Rio de Carvalho, António de Macedo, Fernando Garcia, Jorge Listopad, Artur Anselmo, Henrique Tavares e Castro, etc., as well as renowned international designers, including Bruno Munari, John David Bear and Claude Ternat.
2014
Quintela Palace has been reborn in the hands of three partners who realised that it was a unique business opportunity, where they could develop an original concept never before attempted in the capital. It was a challenging and lengthy project due to a number of conditioning factors, taking more than a year and a half to be completed, supported by excellent partnerships.
The first priority was to restore the paintwork and stained glass, maintaining the original characteristics, remaining true to the palace’s historical past. The architect, Frederico Valsassina, conceived a design in which classical and modern are harmoniously combined. The decoration was designed by the architect Catarina Cabral, who sought pieces in a restrained and timeless style to be integrated into the atmosphere of the palace without overwhelming the grandeur of its details and frescos.
2016
The story of this elegant palace will now resume in 2016 as a place to escape from everyday routines, in an extravagant escape from the banal.
In the renewed Palácio Chiado, the historic rooms will now host alternatives for fine dining and other forms of entertainment for Lisbon residents and visitors. As an outstanding cosmopolitan venue in the city, it is a timeless blend of history and modern life.
2018
Renovation is the key-word when talking about Palácio Chiado. In September of 2018, Palácio Chiado goes under a few refurbishment works and reopens in October, with new gastronomic concepts, albeit with the same diversity and originality it has always had. With exquisite gastronomic and artistic curatorships, this is the FOOD & ART spot of Lisbon.
https://palaciochiado.pt/

Quintela Palace

São Jorge Castle (Portuguese: Castelo de São Jorge; Portuguese pronunciation: [kɐʃˈtɛlu dɨ sɐ̃w̃ ˈʒɔɾʒ(ɨ)]; English: Saint George Castle) is a historic castle in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon, located in the freguesia of Santa Maria Maior. Human occupation of the castle hill dates to at least the 8th century BC while the first fortifications built date from the 1st century BC. The hill on which São Jorge Castle stands has played an important part in the history of Lisbon, having served as the location of fortifications occupied successively by Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, and Moors, before its conquest by the Portuguese in the 1147 Siege of Lisbon. Since the 12th century, the castle has variously served as a royal palace, a military barracks, home of the Torre do Tombo National Archive, and now as a national monument and museum.

History

Although the first fortifications on this hilltop date from the 1st century BC, archaeological excavations have identified a human presence in the Tagus valley as far back as the 8th century BC. The first fortification was, presumably, erected in 48 BC, when Lisbon was classified as a Roman municipality.

The hill was first used by indigenous Celtic tribes, then by Phoenicians, followed by Greeks and later the Carthaginians as a defensive outpost that was later expropriated successively by the Romans, the Suebi, the Visigoths, and the Moors. During the 10th century, the fortifications were rebuilt by Muslim Berber forces; these included the walls or Cerca Moura ("Moorish Encirclement").

Kingdom

In the context of the Christian Reconquista, the castle and the city of Lisbon were freed from Moorish rule in 1147 by Afonso Henriques and northern European knights in the Siege of Lisbon during the Second Crusade; this victory was the only notable success of that failed crusade. According to an oft-repeated legend, the knight Martim Moniz, noticing that one of the doors to the castle was open, prevented the Moors from closing it by throwing his own body into the breach, thus allowing Christian soldiers to enter at the cost of his own life. With the taking of the castle Christian forces were able to maintain the defense of Lisbon until the end of the 12th century.

When Lisbon became the capital of the Kingdom of Portugal in 1255, the castle served as the alcáçova, a fortified residence for Afonso III, in his role as governor. It was extensively renovated around 1300 by King Denis I, transforming the Moorish alcáçova into the Royal Palace of the Alcáçova. Between 1373 and 1375, King Ferdinand I ordered the building of the Cerca Nova or Cerca Fernandina, the walled compound that enclosed all but the north flank of the castle. The master builders João Fernandes and Vasco Brás were responsible for its construction. This wall, which partially replaced the old Moorish walls, was designed to encircle previously unprotected parts of the city. Completed in two years, it had 77 towers, 34 or 38 gates, and a perimeter of 5,400 metres (17,700 ft).

The castle and the city resisted the forces of Castile several times during the 14th century (notably in 1373 and in 1383–1384). It was during this period (the late 14th century) that the castle was dedicated to Saint George by King John I, who had married the English princess Philippa of Lancaster. Saint George, the warrior-saint, was normally represented slaying a dragon, and was very popular in both countries.

From this point onward many of the kingdom's records were housed in the Torre de Ulisses ("Tower of Ulysses"), also known as the Torre Albarrã, until the reign of Manuel I. The Portuguese National Archive, where the eminent Portuguese chroniclers Fernão Lopes and Damião de Góis once worked, is still referred to as the Torre do Tombo (literally the "Tower of the Archive"). On 9 December 1448, Gil Pires was named the castle master builder to replace Afonso Esteves, being paid 400 réis for his work. Between 1448 and 1451, the master builder was paid several stipends for his work on the palace. Similarly, the mason João de Alverca was paid a substantial sum for stonework. These public works continued from 1449 until 1452, with additional payments being made for labor and materials to convert the building from a fortified castle to a royal residence.

As the royal palace, the castle was the setting for the reception by King Manuel I of the navigator Vasco da Gama when he returned from discovering the maritime route to India in 1498. The castle also served as a theater in 1502 when pioneering playwright Gil Vicente staged his Monólogo do Vaqueiro to honor the birth of Manuel I's son and heir, the future João III.

Around the early 16th century, following the construction of the Ribeira Palace beside the Tagus river, the Palace of Alcáçova began to lose its importance. An earthquake occurring in 1531 further damaged the old castle, contributing further to its decay and neglect. In 1569, King Sebastian ordered the rebuilding of the royal apartments in the castle, intending to use it as his official residence. As part of the rebuilding, in 1577 Filippo Terzi demolished one of the towers near the principal facade of the Church of Loreto. However, many of the works were never completed after the young king's apparent death during the Battle of Alcácer Quibir. The following Portuguese dynastic crisis opened the way for sixty years of Spanish rule and the castle was converted into military barracks and a prison. On 30 December 1642, Teodósio de Frias the Younger was appointed master builder to continue the works begun by his father, Luís de Frias, and his grandfather, Teodósio de Frias. This was part of a greater plan by the Spanish forces to recommission the fortification.

However, after Portugal regained its independence following the Portuguese Restoration War, the works were taken over by the Portuguese government. On 6 November 1648, Nicolau de Langres was called upon to take over the design, execution and construction of a new fortification that would surround the Castle of São Jorge and the city walls of Lisbon. In 1650 the military architect Mateus do Couto was named master builder of the project and reconstruction took on a new formality: although the military engineer João Gillot built new walls in 1652, construction again followed Couto's plans between 1657 and 1733. In 1673, the Soldiers' Hospital, dedicated to São João de Deus (St John of God), was installed on the grounds beside the Rua do Recolhimento. At the end of the 17th century the Recolhimento do Castelo ("Castle Shelter") was constructed along the southeast angle of the courtyard, and in 1733, new projects were initiated by master Custódio Vieira.

The 1755 Lisbon earthquake severely damaged the castle and contributed to its continuing decay: apart from the walls of the old castle, the soldier's hospital and the Recolhimento were left in ruins. The necessity of maintaining a supporting military force within the capital city required expansion of the site's role of garrison and presidio. From 1780 to 1807, the charitable institution Casa Pia, dedicated to the education of poor children, was established in the citadel, while soldiers continued to be garrisoned on site. Inspired by the events of the earthquake and the following tsunami, the first geodetic observatory in Portugal was constructed in 1788 at the top of one of the towers of the castle, later referred to as the Torre do Observatório (Observatory Tower).

Republic

By the 1930s, the Castle had all but disappeared as a distinguishable landmark from Lisbon's skyline, being almost entirely obscured behind and under later annexes and additions. As part of the commemorative celebrations marking the foundation of nationhood and restoration of independence (Portuguese: Fundação da Nacionalidade e da Restauração da Independência), the government of António de Oliveira Salazar initiated extensive renovations at the site (as it did with similar castles, such as the ones in Sintra and Silves). Most of the incongruous structures added to the castle compound in previous centuries were demolished, under the supervision of the DGEMN, and there was a partial restoration of the Recolhimento. In addition, on 25 October 1947, a monument dedicated to Afonso Henriques, presented by the city of Porto, of a replica created by Soares dos Reis (in 1887) was installed on the grounds.

On 31 May 1942 the castle's operations began to be handled by the city government of Lisbon, which was reaffirmed on 8 June 1979.

In 1998, the semi-rectangular spaces, columns and cistern were adapted into the museum Olissipónia.

On 22 August 2006, Direcção Regional de Cultura Lisboa (DRCLisboa) defined a special protection zone, that included the Castle of São Jorge and the rest of the walls of Lisbon, the Baixa Pombalina and various properties that were already classified as cultural heritage. The Conselho Nacional de Cultura (National Council of Culture) proposed shelving this definition on 10 October 2011, which was supported by IGESPAR.

Architecture

The castle is in the centre of Lisbon, on a hill, while many of its walls extend around the citadel into the civil parishes that surround it to the east and south.

The castle's plan is roughly square, and it was originally encircled by a wall, to form a citadel. The castle complex consists of the castle itself (the castelejo), some ancillary buildings (including the ruins of the royal palace), gardens, and a large terraced square from which an impressive panorama of Lisbon is visible. The main entrance to the citadel is a 19th-century gate surmounted by the coat-of-arms of Portugal, the name of Queen Maria II, and the date 1846. This gate permits access to the main square (Praça d'Armas), which is decorated with old cannons and a bronze statue of Afonso Henriques, the Portuguese monarch who took the castle from the Moors. This statue is a copy of the 19th-century original, by the romantic sculptor António Soares dos Reis, which is located near Guimarães Castle in northern Portugal.

The remnants of the royal palace are located near the main square, but all that is left are some walls and a few rebuilt rooms such as the Casa Ogival. It now hosts the Olissipónia, a multimedia show about the history of Lisbon.

The medieval castle is located toward the northwest corner of the citadel, at its highest point. Hypothetically, during a siege, if attackers managed to enter the citadel, the castle was the last stronghold, the last place in which to take refuge. It is rectangular, with ten towers. A wall with a tower and a connecting door divides the castle courtyard into halves. A series of stairways allow visitors to reach the walkway atop the wall and the towers, from which magnificent views of Lisbon can be enjoyed. The Tower of Ulysses (where the Torre do Tombo archive used to be) had in 1998 a camera obscura installed that allows spectators a 360-degree view of the city and Tagus River.

Apart from its main walls, the castle is protected, on its southern and eastern sides, by a barbican (barbacã), a low wall that prevented siege engines from approaching the main castle walls. The northern and western sides of the castle, on the other hand, were naturally protected by the steep hillside sloping downward from the castle's foundations. The castle is also partially encircled by a moat, now dry. The main entrance is fronted by a stone bridge across the moat. On the west side, there is a long curtain wall extending downhill, ending at a tower (the Torre de São Lourenço). This tower guarded a gate in the Cerca Fernandina.

São Jorge Castle

The Necessidades Palace (Portuguese: Palácio das Necessidades) is a historic building in the Largo do Rilvas, a public square in Lisbon, Portugal. It serves as headquarters of the Portuguese Foreign Ministry. The Palace has been classified as a Property of Public Interest since 1983.
History
Formerly a convent belonging to the Congregation of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri, it was built in the 18th century, by order of King John V, in gratitude for prayers answered by Our Lady of Needs, whose first devotional chapel stood on this site.
The palace became the residence of the kings of the Braganza dynasty, beginning in the reign of Maria II, and all subsequent monarchs lived there, except for her son, Luís I, who preferred to use the Palace of Ajuda. Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, husband of Maria II, lived in this palace until his death, amassing a large collection of art, which would be dispersed after his death. The palace then underwent several renovations to accommodate the taste of the various monarchs who lived there, the most recent of which was carried out at the beginning of the twentieth century by Carlos I. He enlarged the state dining room because of the frequency of diplomatic activity undertaken there.
The palace was the scene of memorable events in Portuguese history, some momentous, some tragic, some slightly ridiculous. One famous example: the king Peter V had installed in the front door of the palace a slot through which his subjects could, if they wished to, leave messages and complaints for the attention of the sovereign. The last significant event at the palace, which would also be the epilogue of the monarchy, was the joint funeral of King Carlos and his son, Prince Luís Filipe, on 8 February 1908, after their assassination by radical republicans.
On 5 October 1910, during the Republican Revolution, the palace, because it was the official residence of the king, Manuel II, was shelled by the cruiser Adamastor, one of the ships stationed in the Tagus River. The salvoes caused some damage to the Palace, and one of the bomblets even reached the king's private quarters on the first floor, but he had taken refuge elsewhere on the palace grounds. Thanks to the quick thinking of an employee of the building, who cut down the flagpole that customarily displayed the royal banner whenever the monarch was in residence, the Republicans were led to believe that Manuel II had abandoned his home. The king did indeed leave Lisbon a few hours later, and he took refuge in the royal palace at Mafra, 28 kilometres northwest of the capital.
Many works of art housed in the palace were the private property of Manuel II and followed him to his residence in exile in London.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
After the proclamation of the republic on 5 October 1910, the palace remained unoccupied for almost 40 years. In around 1950 it became the headquarters of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a function that continues until the present day. Most of the royal collections, of art, furnishings and other bric-a-bracs were transferred to the museum of the Palace of Ajuda.
Just as the word Whitehall is a convenient way of referring to the British government, today, any use of the word Necessidades is a shorthand way of speaking of the Portuguese foreign ministry or the foreign policy of Portugal, in general.

Necessidades Palace

When planning our tours in Portugal, we looked for places to visit in Lisbon. Points of interest that were not on the so-called normal routes. One of the places to visit, the Palace of the Counts of Óbidos, is a little known Palace that you need to know how to find. In front of Gare Marítima da Rocha Conde de Óbidos. It was built in the 1919th century and passes to the Portuguese Red Cross in XNUMX.
Count of Óbidos was a noble title attributed by King D. Filipe III to D. Vasco Mascarenhas, who had been Vice-King of India and Brazil.
In this palace resided the artist Jorge Colaço, author of a magnificent tile panel, exposed on the terrace, alluding to the arrival in the Terras de Vera Cruz, Brazil. Here the first westerners arrived with Pedro Álvares Cabral in charge of the 13 ships of the trip.
Palace Balcony
One of the places to visit is the balcony of the Palace, which we can see in front of the Gare Marítima da Rocha do Conde de Óbidos.
The Gare Marítima da Rocha Conde de Óbidos, built in 1948 is also one of the places to visit, with mural paintings by Almada Negreiros.
The Palace of the Counts of Óbidos, is also known as Palácio da Rocha, originating from its location, set on top of a huge rocky hill, which because of being so high, you can see the Tagus river from there.
Places to visit in the interior
There are many and varied tile panels and fresco paintings. Even the entrance, on the main façade, is flanked by six tile panels designed by Colonel Vitoria Pereira and drawn in 1937, with figures of a nobleman, a halberd, that is, a man armed with a halberd, or archer and a lady.
Dining Room and Lobby
In the dining room, we can appreciate other panels of his own that represent curious palace scenes.
The atrium of the Palace of the Counts of Óbidos, showing the busts of King D. Luís I and Queen D. Maria Pia, protectors of the Red Cross in Portugal, gives access to the Library. The Palace is currently the headquarters of the Portuguese Red Cross and one of the places to visit in Lisbon.
Palace Library
In the Library of the Palace of the Red Cross, there is a large crystal chandelier, manufactured in Marinha Grande and the ceiling has a painting representing the Peace of Alvalade, in which Queen Santa Isabel appears mounted on a donkey, between King D. Dinis and his son D. Afonso IV.
On the walls of the various rooms of the Palácio dos Condes de Óbidos, you can see portraits of the presidents of the Portuguese Red Cross, as in the Sala D. João de Castro, including that of Maria de Jesus Barroso.
One of the places to visit in Lisbon
A Palace of great interest and not to be missed in Lisbon. From the Rocha Conde de Óbidos we see the Red Cross Palace.
The Palácio dos Condes de Óbidos can be visited by appointment, as can be seen on the website of the Portuguese Red Cross in the “Guided Tours”, just by clicking on the image below, which represents the main entrance to the Red Cross Palace .
You arrive through Jardim 9 de Abril and next to the National Museum of Ancient Art, the former Palace of the Counts of Alvor.
https://www.passaronoombro.com/

Palace of the Counts of Óbidos

Burnay Palace (Portuguese: Palácio Burnay) is a Portuguese palace located in the Alcântara parish in Lisbon, Portugal.
History
The origins of the palace lie with D. César de Meneses, having started in 1701 and ended in 1734. The palace has since undergone changes and restoration works in the nineteenth century and more recently in the early 1940s.
The palace is also called by the Palace of the Patriarchs because it was previously the official summer residence of the Patriarchs of Lisbon.
The palace is currently the seat of the Rectory Services and Social Actions of the Technical University of Lisbon.
IGESPAR rates the palace as a Property of Interest.

Burnay Palace

The Palace of Ajuda (Portuguese: Palácio da Ajuda, Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐˈʒudɐ]) is a neoclassical monument in the civil parish of Ajuda in the city of Lisbon, central Portugal. Built on the site of a temporary wooden building constructed to house the Royal family after the 1755 earthquake and tsunami, it was originally begun by architect Manuel Caetano de Sousa, who planned a late Baroque-Rococo building. Later, it was entrusted to José da Costa e Silva and Francisco Xavier Fabri, who planned a magnificent building in the modern neoclassical style.
Over time, the project underwent several periods when the construction was stopped or slowed due to financial constraints or political conflicts. When the Royal Family had to flee to Brazil (in 1807), following the invasion of Portugal by French troops, the work proceeded very slowly with Fabri taking charge of the project, later followed by António Francisco Rosa. Lack of financial resources would also result in the scaling down of the project. The construction of the Ajuda Palace, which began in 1796 and lasted until the late 19th century, was a project plagued by various political, economic and artistic/architectural problems. It was invaded by Napoleon's troops in 1807, and discontinued by Liberal forces who imposed a constitutional monarchy that reduced the power of the royal family. Artistically, it was a convergence of the Baroque styles from Mafra, very connected to regal authority, with the birth of the Neoclassic style from Italy. Further interruptions occurred, due to a lack of funds, political sanctions or disconnection between the workers and the authorities responsible for the project. The project was modified several times, but was generally authored by Manuel Caetano de Sousa (the last Baroque architect) and, later, Costa e Silva and Fabri, both of them Bolognese architects whose tastes crossed the architectural spectrum, but in which Neoclassicism predominated.
When the palace finally became a permanent residence of the royal family during the reign of King Luis I and his wife, Maria Pia of Savoy, their architect, Possidónio da Silva, introduced many aesthetic changes and turned one of the lateral façades into the main one.
Most of the palace interiors were designed during King Luis I’s reign by his wife, Queen Maria Pia and Possidónio da Silva.
Maria Pia lived in the palace from the day she became Queen of Portugal, in 1862, until the republican Revolution in 1910, when the royal family was forced into exile.
Architecture
The Ajuda National Palace is located on a hilltop of the central part of the parish of Ajuda overlooking the historic centre of Lisbon and Tagus River, south of the Monsanto Forest Park. Its main access way in theLargo da Ajuda on the eastern side of the property, but it is also transited by the Calçada do Mirante à Ajuda (north) and Rua dos Marcos (west). Although the Palace occupies a block on the heights of Ajuda, its delineated space extends to several gardens and lands around the main building. This includes: the Jardim das Damas (Lady's Garden) fronting the northern façade of the Palace; the Sala da Física (Physics Hall), in the north-eastern corner fronting the Palace; the clock-tower, also known as the Torre do Galo (Rooster's Tower), isolated in front of the Palace; and the larger Jardim Botânico (Botanical Garden), southwest and across the street from the Palace.
Exterior
One of the earliest neoclassical buildings in Lisbon, the palace is an irregular rectangular building, divided into four wings (with the western wing being incomplete) around a large quadrangle, paved with Portuguese calçada in geometric designs. Each wing is occupied by distinct entities: the eastern and southern wings are occupied by museum exhibitions of the Palace of Ajuda; the northern wing belongs to the installations of the Instituto de Museus e Conservação (Institute of Museums and Conservation), the Instituto de Gestão do Património Arquitectónico e Arqueológico (Institute for Architectural Management and Archaeological Heritage), part of the Secretaria-Geral do Ministério da Cultura (General Secretariat of the Ministry of Culture), the Ajuda Library and a gallery for temporary exhibits.
The building evolved to a two-three storey structure, on an inclined plot of land, with a façade of ashlar limestone. The main symmetrical façade is oriented towards the east, with a central body and tympanum, extending to two lateral towers. This façade is two floors high, the inferior level marked by three arches, surmounted by (and separated by) Tuscan-Ionian columns supporting the secondary floor/veranda. On the second floor of the main body, the space is protected by balusters protecting the three Roman arch-windows, surmounted by a frieze of garlands, and divided by six Tuscan-Ionic columns.
Between the central body and towers are eight panels consisting of two-floors and a mezzanine, each panel divided by two orders of columns: on the first floor Tuscan and on the second floor Tuscan-Ionic columns. The first floor windows are moulded and trimmed sills with cornices, while a similar number of windows on the upper floor have veranda-like railings, surmounted by smaller square windows. The three-storey towers are also divided by Tuscan and Tuscan-Ionic columns: the first floor, have three windows and sills with angular cornices on the outside and rounded cornices on the interior; the intermediary floor has a comparable number of windows, while the third floor windows are surmounted by smaller windows (much like on the panels). The southern lateral façade has three storeys, with 19 windows in succession, comparable to the main entrance, although there are a series of niches at the base. The uncompleted western façade show signs of vestiges of various dependencies with a wall of open window sills/arches with Tuscan pillars and access to the central courtyard by three rounded arches. Embedded in the vast foyer with a vaulted edge supported by Tuscan columns, has twenty-two marble statues, some signed and dated.
The vestibule is the main access to the Palace, the Library and Exhibition Gallery, which by is made through the vestibule, through a monumental staircase and rounded arches. The ample courtyard is paved in Portuguese calçada, and is surrounded by two four-storey tall wings (north and south): the main floor, with central arch and doorway is flanked by rectangular windows surmounted by smaller square windows; and the superior floors, are composed of veranda-windows with simple frames and cornices and balusters/guardrails.
Interior
The interior is laid out with interconnecting halls, with a central corridor of staircases and elevators.
On the main floor entrance hall, with a succession of the museum in lateral directions, there is a staircase beside two niches with the figures of Justiça and Prudência, which access the Sala dos Archeiros (Archers Hall) completed by Joaquim Machado de Castro and his disciples.