Monserrate Palace - Sintra
History
The Monserrate Palace is built on a hill, west of town of Sintra. The Monserrate Palace is built on Islamic architectural style but the central atrium is decorated with Indian alabaster panels. In a nutshell, this extravagantly decorated palace blends Portuguese, Arabian and Indian architectural styles. There used to be a medieval shrine at this site before this land was purchased by Francis Cook.
Francis Cook purchased the land in 1870 and turned these ruins into a summer palace. In 1920s, this palace was put up for sale by Sir Francis Cook’s great-grandson. Later, in 1949, this palace was purchased by the state and opened it to the public. Entry to the palace is through a side door built within a veranda but front looks the really impressive. Veranda itself offers wonderful views of the park.
Central Atrium
After entering through the side door one comes in the middle of the Central Atrium with a fountain in the middle. Two corridors run to the left and right side of the atrium and stairs bring visitors from the Central Atrium to the upper level of the palace. At the one end of this corridor is the Music Room while kitchen is at the other end.
Music Room
Sometimes the Music Room of the palace can be hired for the private events, such as weddings. The Music Room, probably is one of the most decorated rooms in the palace. Restoration work was carried out inside this room by cleaning of the motifs, installing the heating and better lighting.
The restoration work was carried out in 2001-2004 and some of the old plasters were melted and turned into the newer pieces. From the upper level, one can see a fountain lies in the middle of the atrium and it is surrounded by the Moorish Arches.
A central chandelier hangs from the ceiling in the library. Probably, as per the requirement of this room, dark colours are used to decorate the Library Room of the Monserrate Palace. Shelves inside the library are well stocked with the reading material. The windows of the Library Room open to the West and offers views of the park, surrounding the palace.
A corridor leads out of the Central Atrium, at the end of it, kitchen is located. An old telephone and electricity switches (maybe fuse boxes) are situated next to the southern turret. In the past, an oak tree had grown out of this kitchen which was cut and walls re-built.
