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However
the destructive earthquake of 1775 reduced the monastery
to ruins, though the chapel remained relatively
unscathed. The monastery remained untouched until in
1838, the King Consort, Ferdinand II, bought the ruins
and the surrounding lands and commissioned a palace to
be built in a romantic style.
The King
instructed a German engineer, Baron Wilhelm Ludwig von
Eschwege, to create an opulent palace, which would be
used as the royal family's summer residence. The palace
took 12 years to create, with Ferdinand and his wife,
Queen Maria II, involved in the decoration.
The
palace fell out of royal hands after the death of
Ferdinand II, who has subsequently remarried after Maria
(II)'s death. However King Luis bought back the
Pena National Palace
from his father's widow to ensure the royal family could
continue to enjoy using the residence.
In 1889
the palace, which was home to Amelia - Portugal's last
queen, was bought by the Portuguese state when the royal
family's wealth began to decline. The
Pena National Palace
was declared a national monument in 1910 and turned into
a museum.
Since
opening the
Pena National Palace and Gardens
have attracted thousands of visitors due to the
buildings opulent mix of architectural styles including
Neo-Gothic, neo-Manueline and Islamic.
The
gardens, 200 hectares of forested land, were created at
the same time at the
Pena National Palace
and with as much care and attention. Exotic trees were
ordered from around the world including Coastal Redwoods
from America, Ginkgo Biloba's from southern China and
Camellia's from Japan. Today the gardens, which reach up
to 529 metres in height, have been turned into a nature
trail, on cobbled paths leading the Palace. |
