Mafra is twenty-five miles north of Lisbon. Originally a peasant town Mafra became known to the rest of Europe due to the huge building work that went into the construction of the Italian baroque monastery built during the reign of King Dom João V in the eighteenth century.

50,000 peasants were employed constructing the vast complex of apartments, banquet halls, chapels and monks cells, even containing its own small hospital and pharmacy.

Huge quantities of coloured marble were brought from Italy, a hundred bells cast in Antwerp and an endless assortment of accessories went into the monastery/palace. The vast wealth required for this building came from Brazil where vast numbers of African slaves and Amerindian "helpers" were digging up gold, diamonds and precious stones to be shipped back to Portugal.




the bibliotec


general panoramic of the palace

general panoramic of the palace