The Palace of Mafra, whose full name is Royal Building of Mafra, consists of an incredible construction that includes a royal palace, a basilica, a convent and a grandiose garden. It is also made up of a tapada (a fenced and protected forest where animals used to be kept for hunting).
This is Portugal's largest national monument, with more than 1.200 ha and almost 4000m2 only for convent-palace.. The Palace of Mafra is also one of the best known monuments in the country, thanks in small part to the book Memorial do Convento, which was compulsory reading in 12th Portuguese grade for several years. In 2019, it was included on UNESCO's World Heritage List and a video has been made that perfectly demonstrates the grandeur of this building (here.).
The Palace was commissioned by King João V, who had promised to build the monument when his firstborn son was born, which happened in 1711. Construction began in 1717 by Frederico Ludovice, following the Baroque architectural style. The basilica was consecrated in 1730, although the work was not yet finished.
It was considered one of the most imposing works and one that mobilised the most people (around 45,000 people from all corners of the country), and was only possible thanks to money from Brazilian business.
It is currently possible to visit the Palace of Mafra every day, except Tuesdays, from 9.30 to 17.30. O ticket costs 8€ (2024) and can be bought online. Since August 2024, the Government has approved a new measure that allows Portuguese nationals and residents to visit certain museums, monuments and palaces free of charge 52 days a year, with the Convento de Mafra on that list (More information here).
Visit the Mafra Palace and Convent
The visit begins at the Palace of Mafra, the building that was the residence of the Royal Family when they travelled to Mafra. Starting the tour, you'll pass through dozens of rooms, where the paintings on the ceilings, the large tapestries, grandiose paintings and sculptures and many other imposing decorative elements stand out. At the same time, appreciate the impressive size of the rooms and the huge corridors that connect them.
The Palace of Mafra is said to have around 1,200 rooms, more than 4,700 doors and windows, 156 staircases and 29 courtyards and halls. Obviously it's not possible to see the whole of it, but believe me you'll see enough to realise just how imposing this building is.
You'll be able to visit several staircases (the tour starts in one), King João V's chambers and the King's bedroom that follows, the grand corridor that connects it to the Queen's bedroom and her chambers, the Throne Room, Diana's Room (both with impressive paintings on the ceiling), the Games Room, the Hunting Room, the Music Room, the beautiful Blessing Room, all worked into the floor and ceiling, and many other rooms. Also noteworthy is the 18th century infirmary, the only one from its time that still stands.
The eastern part of the convent, next to the Jardim do Cerco (Siege Garden), is currently handed over to the Portuguese Army, where it houses the Practical Infantry School.
Mafra Palace Library
During your visit to the Palace of Mafra, in the part that corresponds to the Convent, you will come to a room that you will quickly realise is the famous Library of the Palace of Mafra. This is a very tall room, which leads into a large rectangular room 83 metres long. Access is restricted to booked and approved readings only, and the average visitor can only enter a few metres.
However, even if you only visit that area, you can realise just how big it is. It has somewhere inside between 30.000 to 40.000 volumes (depending on where you look, the number varies, but the truth is that new copies are being acquired all the time). being Europe's largest one-room library.
Here you'll find extremely rare national and international books.
The Towers and the Bells
Looking at the building's façade, it's impossible not to notice its two large towers and the chimes at the top.
These sets of bells are considered to be among the largest in the world: they are two chimes with nearly a hundred bells - There are those who say there are 92 (Museums and Monuments of Portugal), 98 bells (Mafra Town Hall and Tapada Nacional de Mafra) and some even point to around 120. Perhaps the lack of consensus is due to the fact that, in reality, the bells are divided into three groups: the bells of the hours, those of the liturgy and those of the carillons.
Despite the lack of agreement on the number, one thing is certain: it's an impressive set of bells, totaling several tons, with the largest bells alone weighing almost 10,000kg each.
For those who have visited Mafra in recent years, they may not have had the pleasure of seeing them in their splendor, as the bells were completely unusable for several years, stopping being used completely in 2001, and a scaffolding support being put in place in 2004 to prevent them from falling down. More recently, they were restored and, in 2020, they began to be heard again on the outskirts of Mafra.
Basilica
At the center of the building is its enormous basilica. The length of the building (58.5 meters) and the height of the pillars stand out. Inside there are 58 large statues. Its shape is that of a Latin cross, reaching 43 meters at its widest point.
In the altar area, there are six historic organs with more than 10.000 tubes, designed to be played together. This set of organs became so imposing that some compositions were created just for these instruments.
Don't forget to look up and admire the paintings on the ceiling, especially the dome. The dome was the first built in Portugal and is 65 meters high.
It also has six side chapels.
Cerco Garden and Royal Hunting Grounds
On one side of the convent you'll find the Garden of the Siege. In this Versailles-inspired garden you'll find different types of fauna, fountains and various statues.
The end of the park meets the back of the Royal Hunting Grounds and extends over several acres. This part of the Mafra Palace, which we unfortunately didn't get to explore, has several surprises to offer, such as waterfalls, vegetable gardens (including the Horta dos Frades, where the herbs used in medicinal products during the time of King João V were planted) and, of course, the woods where hunting used to take place.
It was from the Tapada that the water that supplied the Palace came, so it is here that an aqueduct system begins, which runs for more than 4,000 meters to the Cerco Garden, ending in a large pump.
The National Hunting Grounds of Mafra now offer a wide range of activities for those looking to spend some time connected to nature - which you can get to know here.
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