Queluz is a populous area in the municipality of Sintra about 12 kms from Lisbon. In the early 18th century it was the idyllic country setting of the royal family's estate and hunting lodge, which the Infante Dom Pedro, son of King Dom João V, ordered to be converted into the Summer Palace.
The conversion work between 1747 and 1760 was supervised by the architects Mateus Vicente de Oliveira and the Frenchman Robillion, who added a new west wing to the initial plan, known as the Robillion Pavilion, and worked on the decoration of the finest spaces such as the Throne Room, the Music Room and the Ambassadors' Room.
The palace, predominantly in the "rocaille" and Rococo style, contains an important collection of decorative art - Portuguese furniture, painting, carpets, porcelain and tiles. The geometrically designed gardens, too, are very beautiful, surrounding the palace and concealing lakes and sculptures, and in the park there is a tiled canal through which a stream used to flow and where the royal family would take boat trips. The annexes to the main building have been converted into a "Pousada" (country-house hotel).
The palace salons are open to the public for classical music concerts and every Wednesday there are performances by the Portuguese Riding School in the open-air riding arena. |