Biester Palace

Biester Palace was built in the last decade of 19th century, the Palace is a unique example of Romantic architecture, designed by José Luiz Monteiro.  The decoration, a simultaneous source of diverse artistic styles, bears the signatures of Leandro Braga, portuguese master carver, and the eclectic Italian artist Luigi Manini.

The circulation through the different spaces of the Biester Palace reveals the domestic life of the family that inhabited it, in addition to witnessing the splendor of a time when artistic sensibility was idealized and executed in every visible detail.

The wealth of stylistic influences results from a set of great historical and artistic importance, perfectly integrated into the Romantic spirit of the landscape in which it is inserted, at the same time that it asserts itself as one of the maximum exponents of modernity at the end of the century.

The richness of palace extends from the inside out. The park, an example of Sintra's natural exuberance, boasts a wide variety of exotic species, such as camellias from China and Japan, green and red beeches from Central Europe, acacias from Australia and North American firs. Another highlight is the Pena Cave, a natural formation located in a rocky recess in the park.

But the Biester universe is much more than the eye can reach, with a history full of secrets, and a mysterious and captivating spiritual dimension. All the events that led to its construction, in particular the Chapel and Library, are covered with a deep and complex mysticism, where art and religion meet in a way that is built through intriguing subjects as strong as the Knights Templar, Rome and Christianity, or even themes of esoteric connections to the spheres of Occultism.