Sintra - castles and more castles

Sept 28th
Sintra & castles, castles and  more castles...
We took the train to Sintra today. Sintra is a  longtime royal sanctuary, its forested terrain is studded with pastel-colored villas and palaces.
We stopped at Pena Palace first. It's built at 500 meters above sea level. It's a beautiful example of Portuguese architecture of romaticism. It was built in 1839 when King consort Ferdinand II of Saxe Coburg-Gotha attained the ruins of the Monastery of your Lady of Jerome Pena.
Next we visited the Moorish Castle, dated back to the Islamic rule of the first King of Portugal - ot was never battled because ots function was not to defend the village itself but the vigilance of Lisbon and it's surroundings.
And finally, thd Regaleira Palace. Located I  the old quarter of Sintra and classified as a World Heritage site by UNESCO, Quinta da Regaleira was built at the end of the 19th C in the spirit of romanticism. And true to that, we stumbled upon an engagement in progress. The architecture apparently held symbols related to alchemy, Masonry, the Knights Templar, and the Rosicrucians.

The Initiation Wells (also called initiatic wells or inverted towers) are two wells on the property that better resemble underground towers lined with stairs. These wells never served as water sources. Instead, they were purportedly used for ceremonial purposes. Tunnels connect these wells to one another, in addition to various caves and other monuments located around the park.

Of the two wells, the larger one contains a 27-metre spiral staircase with 23 small niches on the side. The nine flights of stairs could be linked to the Knights Templar, which had nine founders. They might also symbolize the 9 levels of Hell from Dantes’ Inferno. At the bottom of the well is an inland stone compass with the Templar cross. Other references may be to Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism rituals.Read more