- Sintra forest
Parque Natural de Sintra-Cascais. If there is a magical forest, this is it. - The entrance
The entrance of the Convent of the Capuchos (Convento dos Capuchos), or - as it is officially called - Convent of the Holy Cross of the Sintra Mountains (Convento de Santa Cruz da Serra da Sintra). Founded in 1560 and inhabited until 1834. One of the Crosses in the courtyard of the Crosses. - Boulder Gate
The formal entrance to the Convent. - Sintra forest
Late afternoon in the forest of Sintra-Cascais - Courtyard of the Bell
The entrance to the Convent. Two paths around the cross symbolise the free will of the ones entering. - Courtyard of the Fountain
Stone benches and the fountain that gives the name to the courtyard - The Cork Convent
The Convent is insulated with cork, hence the alternative name "Cork Convent". The name was given by William Beckford in his diary of a journey to Portugal in 1787. The cork is obtained from the many oaks in the grounds. - Door of Death
The Door of Death is the entrance to the Convent, symbolising renunciation of the world - The Convent
The Convent is built around/between/under boulders. Probably my favourite place in the whole Portugal. It's just magic. - The Convent
Left and right from the hallway are the tiniest rooms I have ever seen. The doors are about 70 cm tall. - The kitchen
A rather luxurious kitchen in comparison to other rooms. - The Washroom
There are washing facilities, a cistern, a vat and latrines in the washroom. - Narrow pathways
Again, magic. I just can't imagine living here. - Stairs
A lot of people walked through these doors... - Saint Francis
Chapel of Our Lord in Gethsemane painted by André Reinoso (17th century). The Convent was inhabited by the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, which were founded in 1525 from Franciscans. They wore hoods (or cappuccio), which also gave them the name. Oh, and the colour of their robes was brownish, which gave the name to capuccino :-) - Convento dos Capuchos
View of the Convent from the central Cloister. Unfortunately, the cloister was under reconstruction. - View from the Convent
View from the Convent towards the Atlantic Ocean - Tranquility
Such a magical place, the words cannot describe it. - Why?
- Remains of a statue
The Convent was abandoned in 1834 when religious orders were suppressed in Portugal. It was privately owned until 1949 and in 1995 it fell under UNESCO protection. Renovated, it opened for public in 2001. - A cross
Scallop cross - The Church
Marble altar-piece was donated by the Castro family. The coat of arms of the family is on the left. It was D. Álvaro de Castro who founded the Convent. - Entrance to the Convent
The Convent was built according to the simplicity of the Brothers and their complete submission to spiritual values. The harmony between human and divine works was established by placing the convent literally between the boulders. In the middle of a wonderful nowhere. - Sintra forest
Sintra forest