Two new UNESCO’s World Heritage sites in Portugal: Royal Building of Mafra and Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga

UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee has inscribed two new cultural sites in Portugal:

The Royal Building of Mafra: Palace, Basilica, Convent, Cerco Garden and Hunting Park (tapada) and the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga.  As of today Portugal has 17 tangible cultural heritage sites.

- Royal Building of Mafra – Palace, Basilica, Convent, Cerco Garden and Hunting Park (tapada)

Located 30 km northwest of Lisbon, the site was conceived by King João V in 1711 as a tangible representation of his conception of the monarchy and the State. This imposing quadrangular building houses the king’s and queen's palaces, the royal chapel, shaped like a Roman baroque basilica, a Franciscan monastery and a library containing 36,000 volumes. The complex is completed by the Cerco garden, with its geometric layout, and the royal hunting park (Tapada). The Royal Mafra Building is one of the most remarkable works undertaken by King João V, which illustrates the power and reach of the Portuguese Empire. João V adopted Roman and Italian baroque architectural and artistic models and commissioned works of art that make Mafra an exceptional example of Italian Baroque.

-Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte, in Braga

The site, a cultural landscape located on the slopes of Mount Espinho, overlooking the city of Braga in the north of Portugal, evokes Christian Jerusalem, recreating a sacred mount crowned with a church. The sanctuary was developed over a period of more than 600 years, primarily in a Baroque style, and illustrates a European tradition of creating Sacri Monti (sacred mountains), promoted by the Catholic Church at the Council of Trent in the 16th century, in reaction to the Protestant Reformation. The Bom Jesus ensemble is centred on a Via Crucis that leads up the western slope of the mount. It includes a series of chapels that house sculptures evoking the Passion of Christ, as well as fountains, allegorical sculptures and formal gardens. The Via Crucis culminates at the church, which was built between 1784 and 1811. The granite buildings have whitewashed plaster façades, framed by exposed stonework. The celebrated Stairway of the Five Senses, with its walls, steps, fountains, statues and other ornamental elements, is the most emblematic Baroque work within the property.

Find more information about it at:
- http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/
- https://en.unesco.org/news/six-cultural-sites-added-unescos-world-heritage-list

Source: UNESCO

Google maps the interiors of the Palaces of Sintra

Palacio Nacional da Pena © Serge Michaux

In partnership with Parques de Sintra, Google has recently made some additions to its Google Maps collection by adding the Palaces of Pena, Sintra, Queluz and Monserrate to its Indoor Maps function and thus making it possible for any Google Maps (whether via computer or mobile device - Android and IOS) user to access the layouts of each of these palaces across their respective different floors. To this end, simply search for the respective palace, zoom in and click your way through (you may switch between the different levels by clicking on the buttons above and below the zoom).

Currently, Google Indoor Maps covers some three billion square metres of interiors spread across over twenty countries with Portugal now including a total of 49 sites featuring everything from train and metro stations through to museums and other sites of culture and leisure. 

The palaces of Pena, Sintra, Queluz and Monserrate are the very first such Portuguese monuments to make it onto Google Indoor Maps and, from the Parques de Sintra perspective, this represents yet another means of raising the profile of the heritage under its management to the largest possible audience worldwide.

For more Information please check the following sites:
- www.parquesdesintra.pt
- www.facebook.com/parquesdesintra
- Sintra 
- Discovering Sintra

 Source: Parques de Sintra

The new 2014 Music Season at the Palace of Queluz

The new 2014 Music Season at the Palace of Queluz – Tempest and Galanterie – has just been announced. The artistic director will be Massimo Mazzeo, from the Portuguese Centre of 18th-Century Musical Studies (DS-CESP) and the programme for the season, which begins on 8 March, will consist of two cycles, Carnival and Autumn, involving a total of 11 concerts. Works by Beethoven, Bach, Mozart and Mendelssohn, among others, will be presented, in what Massimo Mazzeo describes as a “reconciliation between different atmospheres of culture, whether seen from a historical point of view or through present-day cultural programming.”

António Lamas, President of the Board of Directors of Parques de Sintra, has spoken of his satisfaction at being able to “bring 18th-century music back to the National Palace of Queluz, linking the Palace’s name to a musical season of the highest quality”, which will include such names as Ronald Brautigam, Alexander Lonquich, Thalia Ensemble, Pedro Burmester, Jos van Immerseel and the Gulbenkian Orchestra among others.

Massimo Mazzeo stresses that “the season does not seek to be speculative or populist in any way and is also intended to provide an opportunity for the presentation of new Portuguese musical ensembles, recognised for their work, as well as for the originality and intelligence of their musical proposal.”

Download the programme here.

Information:(+351) 21 923 73 00
comercial@parquesdesintra.pt
www.parquesdesintra.pt

Source: Parques de Sintra

The restoration of the Grand Hall of the Palace of Pena is now complete

Salão Nobre, Palácio da Pena ©Parques de Sintra

The project, which involved an investment of 262,500 euros over three years, consisted of the overall refurbishment of the infrastructures, the repair and correction of the flooring and the restoration of the wooden and stucco cladding of the walls and ceiling. It also involved the restoration of the chandeliers, the stained-glass windows and the furniture specially commissioned by King Fernando, including pieces that are normally kept in reserve and the porcelain objects. Based on historical information and the support of consultants, an attempt was made to return the Hall to its original state. In conducting historical research, the project had the support of the analyses made of materials by the José de Figueiredo Laboratory (General Directorate for Cultural Heritage – DGPC).

The need to undertake repair and restoration work in the Grand Hall of the Palace of Pena was already an urgent affair, given the condition in which the room found itself, particularly the poor state of the flooring, stained-glass windows and badly conserved porcelain pieces, the deteriorated state of the stucco work (which was already beginning to disappear), the furniture that had lost most of its original colour and the infrastructures that were completely out-of-date given the Palace’s present-day needs.

Among the project’s more innovative or original features are, for example, the fact that it took a month to find the original colour of the walls through chromatic analysis undertaken in the laboratory; the placement of LED strips outside the windows so that the stained-glass panes can be observed at night-time; the adoption of an innovative fire detection system involving continuous suction of the air (with constant analysis of the CO2 parameters) and without the need to place special boxes on the ceiling; the use of LED light bulbs not only in order to reduce energy consumption and prevent fires, but also so as not to cause deterioration of the palace’s collection (due to the absence of UV rays); and the four days that were needed to reposition the chandelier after its restoration and to reassemble the statues of the “Turks”.

The linings of the walls and ceiling (with both smooth and relief stucco work) were treated using the original techniques and materials. They were thoroughly cleaned, followed by an extensive and complex restoration of their original colour (after painstaking research).

The flooring was completely repaired and restored, with interventions taking place at the level of its structure and its surface, and the introduction of new infrastructures. This process included removing a significant part of the wooden floor for the purposes of disinfestation and in order to strengthen the supports of the beams in the walls, as well as to replace the deteriorated areas.

All the furniture was completely restored, particularly the footstools and ottomans, in order to faithfully reproduce the original upholstery. Dating from the 19th century, this consists of goatskin dyed with a natural red colour, according to the analysis made of pieces of the original material by the Leather Industries Technological Centre.

The decorative objects, such as the Asian porcelains, were also submitted to conservation and restoration work, in an attempt to reproduce their exact appearance in the time of King Fernando.

The restoration of the lighting (the chandelier and the four torches held by “Turks”) was one of the main features of the project. These were all completely dismantled and cleaned; and, once the rust had been removed and their surface stabilised, they were protected and fitted with special light bulbs.

The restoration of the stained-glass windows also included the repair of the frames, the consolidation of the lead calms, and the treatment of cracks and gaps in the colouring.

The Calabash Stairs and the Entrance Hall were also restored, the former intervention involving a full restoration of the decorative painting (which was almost completely erased) and the correction of the natural ventilation, while, in the latter space, work was largely centred on the restoration of the moulded stucco panels.

The intervention also included complete alterations to the infrastructures, which involved placing the electric sockets in floor boxes (instead of in the walls) and thus removing all wires from view; the lighting was designed to be adapted to various uses of the room, based on LED technology; and the natural ventilation was improved through grilles placed in the ceiling and roof and simple ventilators.

More information about Pena Palace at:
- http://www.parquesdesintra.pt/park-and-national-palace-of-pena
- http://www.visitportugal.com/Palácio Nacional da Pena
- http://www.visitportugal.com/Discovering Sintra

Source: Parques de Sintra

Vidago Palace and Heritage Av Liberdade hotels won Condé Nast Johansens 2014 Awards for Excellence

The portuguese hotels Vidago Palace and Heritage Av Liberdade were the winners of two Condé Nast Johansens 2014 Awards for Excellence, given last night, Monday 4th November 2013, at the annual awards ceremony in London.

Condé Nast Johansens created their Annual Awards of Excellence to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across the hotels and spas in their collection, all of which have been handpicked by local experts.

The Vigado Palace won in the category of "Best New or Back on the Scene Hotel" and the Heritage Av Liberdade in the "Best Value for Money" category.

Check here the review on this two hotels at the Condé Nast Johansens website:
- Vidago Palace
- Heritage Av Liberdade


Source: Condé Nast Johansens

Park and Palace of Monserrate winner of European Garden Award 2013

Park and Palace of Monserrate ©Parques de Sintra

The Park and Palace of Monserrate won the European garden Award 2013 in the category of "Best Development of a Historic park or Garden".

"The decision of the jury for the Park Monserrate as the winner of the European Garden Award in the category for "Historical parks" was made not least because of the magic and romantic atmosphere that is emanated by it still today. Meanwhile it should really say "again today" as the comprehensive redevelopment and reconstruction of the park was only completed in the past 20 years. In 1995 the park was thereupon recognised by the UNESCO as World Heritage Site as a part of the palaces and parks in Sintra.

For this outstanding result, to which the association of "Friends of Monserrate" had made a great contribution, the park and all people involved were honoured this year. Monserrate owes its establishment to an English tradesman, who had his residence in Portugal built there. He and a some more English owners as well as the architects and gardeners contracted by them have created a park in the course of many years, in which the various eras of its history - and also its intermittent oblivion - can to this day be traced and experienced in diverse layers and garden areas.
Light and shadow, exotic and rare plants, winding paths and breath-taking views, but even new garden sections, such as the rose garden that was opened in the year 2011 by the Prince of Wales, make a visit to Monserrate, in spite of the many other wonderful parks in Portugal, an unique, fascinating and therefore "prize worthy" event."

More information about Monserrate at:
- http://cmsen.eghn.org/
- http://www.parquesdesintra.pt/

Source: European Garden Heritage Network - EGHN

Joana Vasconcelos exhibition at Palacio Nacional da Ajuda

The name of Joana Vasconcelos needs no introductions and her work speaks for itself on the international contemporary art scene. After her success at Versailles, Joana Vasconcelos returns to Lisboa to present her most ambitious exhibition to date in the magnificent halls of Ajuda National Palace.

The dialogue between the artist's works and the unique interiors of the Palace promises to transform this key event into the most important contemporary art exhibit in Portugal.

The exhibition is held in the Palace's royal apartments and features the last decade of work by Joana Vasconcelos, bringing together iconic works such as "A Noiva", "Coração Independente" and "Marilyn", alongside more recent works not previously shown in Portugal, such as Lilicoptère, Perruque and War Games.

Last year, Joana Vasconcelos became the first woman and the youngest artist to exhibit at the Palace of Versailles, an exhibition visited by 1,679,000 people, making it the most visited exhibition in Paris in the last 50 years.

In Lisboa, Ajuda National Palace is no doubt the best setting to host this show. This magnificent work of Portuguese architecture, built in the first half of the 19th century, was the official residence of the Portuguese monarchy until the establishment of the Republic. In 1968 it opened to the public as a museum and is one of the most important Portuguese museums of decorative arts. The Palace still retains the royal chambers, beautifully restored to its original condition of the era.

Until 25 August, Thursday through Sunday, from 10am to 7pm, Saturdays until 9pm, at Palacio Nacional da Ajuda, Largo da Ajuda.
Normal ticket 10 euros, family ticket from 20 to 24 euros.
Free admission for children up to 6 years old.Closed on Wednesdays

More information at:
- www.ilovelisboa.pt
- https://www.facebook.com/JoanaVasconcelosPNAjuda


Source: VisitLisboa

Contemporary art exhibition by Joana Vasconcelos at Palácio da Ajuda

Joana Vasconcelos is one of biggest portuguese artists ... pretty soon at the Palácio da Ajuda some of its main works will be exhibited ... March 23 until August 25.

In the various palace rooms of Palácio da Ajuda, visitors can see works like the giant women’s shoes “Marilyn” (2011), made from traditional Portuguese cooking pans and “Red Independent Heart” (2005) and “Black Independent Heart” (2006), made of plastic spoon, side by side with some recent works never exhibited in Portugal, as the Lilicoptère, Perruque or War Games.

Everyday: 10h to 19h00 - Except Saturday: 10h to 21h00
Closed on Wednesdays

 
More information at:
- www.joanavasconcelos.com
- www.pnajuda.imc-ip.pt
- http://www.pnajuda.imc-ip.pt/PressRelease


Source: VisitLisboa.com

Madeira Film Festival 2013: April 15 to 21

Madeira will host the second edition of the Madeira Film Festival, a ground breaking project at an environmental level, promoted by the Scottish director Aitken Pearson. This event will promote various initiatives associated with arts, education, ecotourism, and solidarity purposes.

The Madeira Film Festival organisation fervently believes there is no better place in the world to stage a film festival than on the piquant Island of Madeira and there is no better place on Madeira to stage a film festival than in glorious Reid’s Palace Hotel and the Municipal Theatre in Funchal.

The crux of the Madeira Film Festival is to pay homage to the resilience of Madeira’s endemic Laurissilva Forest by screening a slate of films which may deliberate a connotation with the natural world in some fashion, films which are expansive, unsettling and profound,films which will hopefully impinge upon the viewers imagination.

One of the most effective measures that can be implemented in order to raise awareness of the Laurissilva forest and subsequently it’s preservation is through the undisputed persuasive strength of audio- visual communication. The aspiration of the Madeira Film Festival is to become one of Europe’s foremost film festivals, by sheer virtue of location there exists an inherent capacity to attain this.

Madeira is an island (35 miles long and 13 miles wide) situated in the Atlantic Ocean some 300 miles from the coast of Africa and 600 miles from the Portuguese mainland. An autonomous region of Portugal, Madeira offers a sub-tropical climate due to its geographical position and mountainous relief.

The flowers and trees of Madeira blossom fervently during early Spring, especially the Jacaranda trees as they flower profusely boasting a deep, rich purple colour. The end of April is indeed a wonderful time of year to visit Madeira.

This event will feature a number of celebrities from the world of cinema and music.

This festival will present environmental films divided into several categories, which will be evaluated by an international panel of judges.

For more information:
-  www.madeirafilmfestival.com
-  https://www.facebook.com/madeirafilmfestival 

Carriage rides in Parque da Pena



© Parques de Sintra



Visitors to Parque da Pena can now enjoy carriage rides in Sintra's lush green landscape and enjoy an experience similar to the way King Ferdinand II and his guests did.

Every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday,visitors can buy a ticket to ride in a carriage between the Lakes of Parque da Pena and the Condessa d'Edla Chalet, in close contact with the Ardennais horses living in the park, whilst discovering Quinta da Pena (and the animals that inhabit it) and the Condessa d'Edla Garden, included in the tour.

On this trip, visitors may also request an expert guide on the Sintra Parks, and thus learn about the history of the park, its botanical species, and several historical sites that form part of the route.

For more information about Pena Palace click here.

Source: Lisboa Inside