Mafra!
I want to share with you a place we have been to several times over the past years as we have visited Portugal. It is always an amazing place to see, but these last two visits in the past week have shown us something new.
Mafra is a town approximately 20 miles northwest of Lisbon, near the seaside town of Ericeira, and boasts an enormous Palace, including a monastery, library and
Basilica. The building of the Palace
began in 1717 and concluded in 1730. To
look at the front of the building is hard to believe; the Basilica is in the
middle and the Palace and Monastery on each side. The palace was a summer residence and lodge
during hunting season for the Portuguese royal family. It was intended to rival the finest royal palaces anywhere in the world. There is so much to say about Mafra, http://www.palaciomafra.pt/ please open and click on the "English" tab for much more information.
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| Driving into Mafra off the highway |
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| The Palace |
We discovered that in the Basilica, once a month during the summer, there is an organ concert. Now this would not be just another concert to attend. There are six, yes, six huge organs in the Basilica! As we arrived, there were many standing at the door, would we make it inside? We found out that we needed tickets, we had none. The website didn't mention that small fact. We did attain tickets that allowed us to come in and listen as there was "standing room only". Well as it turned out, our lack of advanced tickets, was a very good thing as we walked up to the front and stood in the vestibule adjacent to the main altar, right under two of the huge organs. We were able to see five of the six organs from where we stood. For the next hour we listened to various classical pieces from a variety of composers. At times only one or two organs played. But the most amazing was to hear all six play at once. The real treat was the finale, appropriately titled "Symphony for six Organs". For the final 10 minutes, all six organs played and the massive cathedral was filled with thousands of silent observers experiencing wonderful music. This was an experience I will not soon forget. R, M and I left truly appreciative for having experienced this concert.
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| Inside the Basilica |
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| One of the six organs - right above us |
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| Four of the six organs |
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| Detail of the altar |
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| Incense |
Our second visit to Mafra this past week was a bit more random. On the way back home from a church picnic, we decided to make a stop in Mafra. It was quite a hot day and not many people were visiting the Palace or the nearby old town. Only the cafes were busy serving cool drinks as people were seeking relief from the heat of the afternoon. We were unable to go into the Basilica as there looked to be a wedding going on inside at the time, but we did walk into the the surrounding manicured courtyard. We had not really taken time previously to explore this place in depth, but the courtyard and surrounding hallways were serene, very lovely and ...empty.
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| The courtyard |
Walking past this bustling area, we entered into a forest area, thick with trees and bushes and gravel paths. The path led us to other paths and statues placed at their intersections. A very tall large stone wall surrounded the "forest". We walked along paths that seemed distant from the busy world that surrounded us.
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| "Forest" pathways |
When we walked back out of the garden and found the sign at the entrance (that we had missed when walking in) and realized we had just visited the Palace gardens which is what we figured out as we walked. The gardens were laid out in a careful geometric pattern. We estimate that the gardens were approximately 80 acres in total.
What a treat and complete surprise this time had been!
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| Looking back at the Palace as we walked through the town |
I'm thinking you have the makings for a beautiful Portugal coffee table book. You know, the kind with all the beautiful pictures and descriptions of what they are, where they are and the magic encountered at each one!
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