Palácio de Mafra

This baroque marvel stands as a reminder of regal excess. It was built in 1717 when King João V had more money (from the gold discovered in Brazil, which was still a Portuguese colony at the time) than he knew what to do with it. The idea was to build in the outskirts of Lisbon a colossal palace with a grandiose convent to rival the Escorial outside Madrid. After two decades and 45,000 workers, the building was completed, with 880 rooms and 300 monks' cells (the story of the monument's construction is the basis of the classic novel "Baltasar and Blimunda" by Nobel Prize author José Saramago).
The dome is one of the world's largest but it doesn't look it, dwarfed as it is by the rest of the building. Also extraordinary are the two carillons of the magnificent basilica, dating from 1730, with 114 bells (57 each), which is the world's largest assemblage.
Adjoining the palace are the royal hunting grounds (the Tapada de Mafra), where wild animals roam free, and the king's love of hunting can also be seen inside the building, in a room with upholstery of animal skin and chandeliers made out of antlers.
In a tour of the interior, visitors will also see the impressive rococo library housing nearly 40,000 leather-bound books, the royal apartments, and the marbled basilica with its set of six organs that is unique in the world. Also noteworthy are the 58 Italian marble sculptures from the 1700s.

text - In - Lisboa Lux
Photos - By Lenyta