{"id":18914,"date":"2025-01-03T19:10:05","date_gmt":"2025-01-03T19:10:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tours.com.pt\/palacio-de-mafra\/"},"modified":"2025-01-11T14:28:58","modified_gmt":"2025-01-11T14:28:58","slug":"mafra-palace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tours.com.pt\/en\/mafra-palace\/","title":{"rendered":"Mafra Palace: History, Art, and Grandeur"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The <strong>Mafra Palace<\/strong>, located about 40 km from Lisbon, is one of Portugal\u2019s most magnificent monuments. Built in the 18th century by order of <strong>King Jo\u00e3o V<\/strong>, it was initially planned as a <strong>monastery<\/strong>, but was soon expanded to include a <strong>royal palace, a monumental basilica, and one of Europe\u2019s largest libraries<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-layzr=\"https:\/\/tours.com.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/13584619MB-Biblioteca-Mafra-01-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Mafra Palace: History, Art, and Grandeur\" class=\"wp-image-18840\" style=\"object-fit:cover;width:700px;height:400px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Construction began in <strong>1717<\/strong>, funded by gold from Brazil. The king had promised to build the palace if he had an heir, and after the birth of <strong>Princess Maria B\u00e1rbara<\/strong>, the works began. Over <strong>50,000 workers<\/strong> participated in the project, making it one of the most ambitious baroque constructions in the world.<br><br>Another highlight of Mafra Palace is its collection of <strong>royal carriages<\/strong>, some of which are displayed in special exhibitions. These carriages, once used by the royal family, showcase the sophistication and luxury of Portuguese nobility.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-layzr=\"https:\/\/tours.com.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/palacio-de-mafra-1024x680.jpg\" alt=\"Pal\u00e1cio de Mafra\" class=\"wp-image-18904\" style=\"object-fit:cover;width:700px;height:400px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mafra Palace Highlights<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Basilica<\/strong>: Inspired by St. Peter\u2019s Basilica in Rome, featuring <strong>six historical organs<\/strong> and a <strong>carillon with 98 bells<\/strong>, one of the largest in the world.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Library<\/strong>: Holding over <strong>36,000 books<\/strong>, including rare manuscripts and books once banned by the Inquisition, preserved by a colony of bats that protects them from insects.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Royal Chambers<\/strong>: Located at opposite ends of the building, showcasing the grandeur of the Portuguese monarchy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Monastery<\/strong>: Originally home to Franciscan monks, featuring an ancient pharmacy and infirmary.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-layzr=\"https:\/\/tours.com.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/palacio-de-mafra-2-1024x546.jpg\" alt=\"Mafra Palace: History, Art, and Grandeur\" class=\"wp-image-18907\" style=\"object-fit:cover;width:700px;height:400px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Beyond the palace, the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tapada_Nacional_de_Mafra\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Tapada Nacional de Mafra<\/a><\/strong>, a vast <strong>hunting reserve<\/strong> created for the royal family, is now a <strong>protected natural park<\/strong>. Visitors can explore trails, observe <strong>deer, wild boars, and eagles<\/strong>, and even participate in <strong>archery and falconry<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-layzr=\"https:\/\/tours.com.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/fachada_palacio_mafra.jpg\" alt=\"Mafra Palace: History, Art, and Grandeur\" class=\"wp-image-18910\" style=\"object-fit:cover;width:700px;height:400px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>In 2019, the <strong>Mafra Palace was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site<\/strong>, attracting thousands of visitors each year. Its impressive architecture, rich history, and fascinating library make it one of Portugal\u2019s most remarkable landmarks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re planning a trip to Portugal, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/tours.com.pt\/en\/contact\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Contact Us\">don&#8217;t miss the chance<\/a> to explore this extraordinary site filled with history, art, and grandeur<\/strong>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Mafra Palace, located about 40 km from Lisbon, is one of Portugal\u2019s most magnificent monuments. Built in the 18th century by order of King Jo\u00e3o V, it was initially planned as a monastery, but was soon expanded to include a royal palace, a monumental basilica, and one of Europe\u2019s largest libraries. Construction began in &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":18127,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[262,279],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18914","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cultura-en","category-historia-en","latest_post"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tours.com.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18914","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tours.com.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tours.com.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tours.com.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tours.com.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18914"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tours.com.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18914\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tours.com.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tours.com.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tours.com.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tours.com.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}