Mafra - Palácio Nacional de Mafra

History

The Palácio Nacional de Mafra was founded in 1717 by Joao V and his queen, Maria Ana of Austria, in fulfilllment of a vow made in 1711 and in thanksgiving for the birth of an heir (later José I). It was built by a force of as many as 50,000 workmen under the direction of the Italian trained German architect Johann Friedrich Ludwig and his son Johann Peter Ludwig and consecrated in 1730, although it was 1750 before the whole complex was finally complete.

The monastery buildings were originally occupied by Franciscans but in the late 18th C. were transferred to the Augustinians. When the monastery was closed following the dissolution of all religious orders in 1834 parts of it were allocated to the army. The former royal apartments were hardly ever occupied. King Joao V and his Queen spent only a few days here, and it wasn't until the early 19th C. that the palace enjoyed its brief heyday when Joao VI resided here in 1806-07. With the approach of French troops the royal family made a hurried departure from the palace, en route for Lisbon and subsequently Brazil, taking most of the valuable furnishings and works of art with them. Nor did later Portuguese rulers spend much time in Mafra, usually only stopping here in order to hunt nearby.

Layout

The huge building consists of the monastery church, the monastery accommodation containing the cells and the communal rooms used by the monks, and a further section to serve the royal family as their accommodation. Built on an almost square plan and designed with the strictest regard for symmetry, the building as a whole is 251m/825ft long by 221m/725ft wide and covers a total area of 40,000sq.m/48,000sq.yd. It has 900 rooms, with 4,500 windows and doors. It bears comparison with the Escorial, Philip II's monastery palace near Madrid, but was intended by its founder to surpass even the Escorial in size and splendor. It is the supreme exemplification in Portugal of cool Baroque magnificence, lavish extravagance and absolute royal power. It was financed by gold from the Brazilian mines. The church is open to the public, as are the former royal apartments (guided tours), but parts of the monastery cannot be visited since they are occupied by a military academy, etc.

The Palácio Nacional de Mafra is where the Portugese royal family prefers reside in the summer.