Built in 1856 to serve as a summer residence for Francis Cook, Monserrate Palace is one of the most incredible creations of romanticism.
The interior reveals elegant and luxurious spaces, such as the Gallery (the corridor that connects the palace’s three towers), the music room, the dining room and the library.
But that’s just the tip of the veil, because Palácio de Monserrate has much more to tell. Shall we go there?
Once upon a time… in 1540
Monserrate has a very long history, dating back to 1540, when Friar Gaspar Preto ordered the construction of a hermitage dedicated to Our Lady of Monserrate, dazzled by his visit to the hermitage of Montserrat in Catalonia, near Barcelona.
From this date onwards, it was transformed into a place of worship and vegetable production, which supplied the then Hospital de Todos os Santos in Lisbon
After the 1755 earthquake… and promises of love
Almost 200 years later, in 1718, through the Commander of Christ and Viceroy of India D. Caetano de Mello e Castro, the Quinta de Monserrate was bought, only to be completely devastated a few years later by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.
Even so, the place was rented out to Gerard de Visme, an English merchant who decided to build a neo-Gothic style castle there, which he rarely visited.
Then, in 1793, Montserrat was given a new tenant: the English writer William Beckford. After some restoration work on the building itself and also on the vast surrounding gardens, it fell back into oblivion in 1799, when this tenant also left the property.
Lord Byron was another of the many Englishmen who visited and showed interest in Monserrate. This illustrious poet even made a point of dedicating a love poem to it , entitled “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage”.
The 1st Viscount of Monserrate
It wasn’t until 1846 that someone gave Monserrate the respect it deserved. Francis Cook, an English merchant and art collector, became the owner of Quinta de Monserrate and the 1st Viscount of Monserrate.
The palace you can visit today dates from this time and combines various influences: Gothic, Indian and Moorish, with various exotic and plant motifs in its interior and exterior decoration, and is today one of the most beautiful and lush national gardens. But we’ll get to Monserrate Park in a moment!
It was in this “paradise” that Cook and his family spent their summer vacations, as well as organizing parties for everyone in their private circle of friends.
Monserrate Park
Surrounding the palace is Monserrate Park, which houses a remarkable botanical collection of species from all over the world, which blend in with the native vegetation over 50 hectares.
Highlights include the Valley of Ferns, from New Zealand and Australia, and the Valley of Mexico, with artificial lakes and an enormous araucaria tree over 45 meters high.
The interventions of landscape designer William Stockdale, botanist William Neville and master gardener James Burt and, of course, the romantic spirit of Francis Cook, made this park stand out from everything else around at the time.
Today, Monserrate Park offers breathtaking scenery of winding paths in complete harmony with the spontaneous species of the region, such as arbutus trees, holly trees and grandiose cork oaks.
The recognition it was due… finally
To date, this “monument” to beauty and romanticism has never fallen into disrepair. Quite the opposite!
The Portuguese government acquired the palace and all the surrounding property more than 100 years later, in 1949, classifying the Palace and Park of Monserrate as a Property of Public Interest.
And the icing on the cake is that both are part of the Sintra Cultural Landscape, which was classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1995.
After centuries, the palace and park were finally in good hands, having been handed over to Parques de Sintra in 2000, which ended up intervening deeply in the rehabilitation of the building and the installation of new infrastructure networks that allowed this idyllic place to be seen by everyone from 2010 onwards.
It was only in 2016 that the entire interior, which is “to die for”, was completely restored.
The future of Monserrate Palace
Parques de Sintra is in the final stages of the total restoration of Monserrate Park and Palace through musealization.
To this end, it is acquiring pieces that evoke the place and those who lived here, such as the Cook family. One of these pieces is a Renaissance marble relief, attributed to Gregorio di Lorenzo, which returned to the palace and was part of Sir Francis Cook’s valuable collection.
Visiting Monserrate Park and Palace is therefore another way of helping this magnificent space to survive and evolve. And this is undoubtedly a visit that will stay with you forever!
Address: Rua Barbosa du Bocage 136 (Sintra)
Opening hours: every day from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. (last entry at 6 p.m.)
Tickets: adult (aged 18 to 64) for €12; youth (aged 6 to 17) for €10; senior (over 65) for €10; family (2 adults + 2 youths) for €33, on the website
Don’t miss out! Follow us on Facebook,Instagram and now also on WhatsApp!