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| Castles and Palaces - 6 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| National Palace of Sintra | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Right - Chapel of Sintra Palace. The Gothic palatine chapel was built by King Dinis I in the early 14th century. Its carved wooden ceiling, in Moorish style, was probably created at the time of King Afonso V in the middle of the 15th century. The decorative ceramic mosaic in the floor of the main chapel also dates from the same period. The painted walls, depicting a series of flying doves representing the Holy Ghost, have been restored in 1939 based on preserved parts. The original painted decoration also dated from the times of Afonso V, and was appropriate for the chapel, which was dedicated to the Pentecost. | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Left - Inner view of the Coats-of-Arms Room. This enormous room was commissioned by King Manuel I and was finished around 1518. Its octagonal, wooden ceiling has the King's coat-of-arms in the middle and is surrounded by painted panels with of the coats-of-arms of other members of the royal family and 72 noble families of the Portuguese kingdom. Each coat-of-arms is shown as being carried by a deer. The blue-white tiles depicting hunting scenes are a 18th century-addition. This is the most impressive of the rooms of the Palace and a magnificent glorification of royal power. | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Index | ||||||||||||||||||