Quinta da Regaleira Park Sintra
Fountain of Balneario and the Pond of the Gruta do Labirinto
The Quinta da Regaleira Park in Sintra is part of the Quinta da Regaleira which has a palace and a four hectares of land. The park itself has dense trees, Tunnels, Initiation Wells, Lakes, fountains and the Aquarium.
A statue of a lion is built on the walkway which starts from the Chapel leading to the other parts of the park. Fonte de Balneario is located between the lion statue and the Gruta do Labirinto. The Pond of the Gruta do Labirinto is part of two artificial lakes and several fountains were added by Monteiro.
Fountain of Regaleira and Lago da Cascata
The Fountain of Regaleira (Fonte da Regaleira) is located close to the Torre da Regaleira, it is also known as the the Fountain of Abundance. This fountain is probably one of the most beautiful in the park. The Tower of Regaleira (Torre da Regaleira) can be reached by a walkway from the Fonte da Regaleira.
Lago da Cascata (the Waterfall Lake) has an artificial waterfall and a lake at the bottom of the fall. There are small footsteps placed inside the lake to cross over to the cave. This is the best place to lose yourself in the dark labyrinths. A cave goes around the lake and at the back of the waterfall.
The Portal of the Guardians has two figures, which probably are referred as the Guardians. The Imperfect Well ( Poço Imperfeito) is a spiral well, which leads to the tunnels. It has a central structure that is well in himself, formed by interleaved rough stones.
Initiation Well
The Initiation Well is a nine floor slippery spiral staircase covered with moss, which represents Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso from Dante’s Divine Comedy. It is a magnificent well, known as “Initiation Well” a sort of inverted tower that plunges deep into the earth. There are fifteen steps on each level, going down to the nine levels of this spiral gallery, supported by columns.
The total numbers of levels of this well is nine and the number is not a chance but a symbolic figure. There were nine the first Templars, the knights who founded the Temple and those who are at the origin of the Portuguese Order of Christ. The well fall also means a decline within himself, in search of the depths of his own soul. From this well, tunnels lead to all’Entrada dos Guardiães (Guardians’ Entrance) to Lago da Cascata (The Waterfall Lake) and to Poço Imperfeito (Unfinished Well), another well.
