We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. At the very bottom of the well is a circular floor, simply decorated with coloured tiles in shades of ochre. Sunlight streams in through the rough arches cut into the walls of the tunnel. We were tired. What’s impressive is that this tranquil, mystical place is not so far for the hustle and bustle of Lisbon. Along with the cults of ancient Greece and Free Masonry, other symbols included the Knights Templar and the I love the Chapel of the Quinta da Ragaleira. Climbing down the spiral staircase, it seems to get cooler, darker, mossier and more isolated. The Initiation Well is not a real well. Although it is simple in design, the wood is beautifully carved.
It is not surprising that Monteiro, a biologist and an avid traveller, planted these trees to bring the world into his garden.The Quinta da Regaleira is definitely a man-made wonder, hidden deep in plain sight in its own piece of nature. We’ll never know. Para quem nos visita e quer conhecer a Quinta da Regaleira de forma mais aprofundada, são disponibilizadas regularmente, de terça-feira a sábado, visitas guiadas em idiomas pré-definidos. All we knew was, if these damp, moss covered walls could talk, oh the stories they’d tell.With our heads still reeling from the questions and unexplained discoveries, we backtracked on the beaten path through the tall grass. Stone statues of Venus, Hermes, Dionysus, and many other Greek gods and goddesses, line this pathway. But something about the exterior walls beckoned us. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. 22 niches along the way, a tarot significance – the Major Arcana. But Charles, with all of his unnecessary reading and information gathering recognized symbols throughout the house, and he couldn’t stop marvelling at it in a hushed almost ominous voice. This well, it is said, was designed to represent the nine circles of Dante’s Inferno.
Poderá adquirir o seu bilhete online, através da TICKETLINE , evitando assim as filas de espera. Purchased and subsequently expanded (to give it a pentagonal shape) by Carvalho-Monteiro, a distinguished bibliophile, collector and philanthropist who painstakingly determined the design of his estate, it is so well located between the Royal Palace and Palace of Seteais. I doubt there was anything in the Quinta da Regaleira that did not have meaning.The main way out from the bottom of the Initiation Well is a truly magical path. There are sequoias from North America, Magnolias from South East Asia, Cycads from Central America and even the Norfolk Island Pine from New Zealand. was stupidly left for the last on our day trip to Sintra from Lisbon. We just turned and looked at each other wordlessly. What’s impressive is that this tranquil, mystical place is not so far for the hustle and bustle of Lisbon. At the peak of summer, everything was lush, green and dense. As its name suggests, the well was used for initiation rites. But really, the entire place feels as if it is carved out of the very rock it stands on.The Initiation Well is, perhaps, one of the most famous attractions in all of Sintra. Although Christian in design, it shows how no religious belief is ever truly separate from all the others that have come before. Diffusing the bright sunlight, setting everything aglow.
A Quinta da Regaleira constitui um dos mais surpreendentes monumentos da Serra de Sintra. Why was there such an opulent palace hidden in a forest? Despite this though, it was not overrun with tourists, and our visit was both eye-opening and enjoyable.It was commissioned by the wealthy Portuguese eccentric Carvalho Monteiro, who was also a renowned etymologist. These cookies do not store any personal information.Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. From the arches, you can see the Lake of the Waterfall, which separates the caverns of the wells from their exit. The end of the 1800s was when the destiny of this elegant summer retreat took a mysterious turn. With colours representing alchemist processes, and the four elements of earth, wind, water, fire, we hear it signifies the quest. Quickly, our breathing slowed down to a normal pace and our cheeks returned to a normal colour as … I have an appallingly meagre understanding of the Masonic world given that there are rumours my ancestors were a part of this secret tribe. There was something magical about this place that made us want to talk in hushed whispers.“Look in there,” I whispered to Charles. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Double-checking with the map, we realised we were at a spot called the Portal of the Guardians.