Chapel of Our Lady of Pena

Inside the Chapel of Our Lady of Pena

Inside the Chapel of Our Lady of Pena

I was quite happy with the Pena Palace which is one of the centerpieces in Sintra. I was surprised to know that there were a lot of places to visit in Sintra, the Pena palace would be our last stop in this grand tour of Sintra. The sun was already going down but we managed to get in the palace before the gates close. One good thing about this is that most of the people have already left. There are still several people here but is not the crush of people that it would normally be. The Pena Palace is a delightful mix of architectural styles. It is probably the first time I have seen a structure like this in Portugal.

Altar at the Chapel of Our Lady of Pena

Altar at the Chapel of Our Lady of Pena

The kings of Portugal seem to have taken a liking to architecture so they requested that these different styles be done. I sure won’t use these kings as my architect. What could be lost in all these palaces was that Pena Palace started from a humble chapel which later grew into a monastery and then a palace. Much of the subsequent structures have been destroyed in a powerful earthquake except for the original chapel. The chapel is dedicated to Our Lady of Pena and it is now integrated into the existing Pena Palace.

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