20 June 23
O que é que Polanski, Depp e Sintra têm em comum?
Are you a Roman Polanski fan? How about Johnny Depp?
Have you seen The Ninth Gate (1999)? If you did, you may remember that, at a certain point, Dean Corso (played by Depp), comes to Sintra to meet with the owner of a copy of The Ninth Gate. You may remember this beautiful palace, in the middle of the fog.
Well, this is the Biester Palace and we bring you great news: it is now open to the public for visits! Isn’t this great? - https://youtu.be/lwkEIIAUX58
This chalet was erected in the last decades of the 19th century. The building was designed by the first Portuguese architect José Luiz Monteiro, and decorated by the best artists of the period, namely Luigi Manini, Italian set designer at La Scala opera house, architect, and painter, and Leandro de Souza Braga Portuguese woodcarver, amongst others. The wealth of stylistic influences it exhibits results in a whole of great historical and artistic importance, perfectly merging with the Romantic spirit of the surrounding landscape, whilst simultaneously asserting as a great expression of late-century modernity, highlighted by a leading functional approach.
The richness of the Biester Palace extends from the inside out. The park, an example of Sintra's natural exuberance, boasts a wide variety of exotic species, such as camelia trees from China and Japan, green and red beech trees from Central Europe, acacias from Australia, and American firs. Another highlight is the Pena Cave, a natural formation located in a rocky recess in the park.
But the Biester universe is much more than the eyes can reach, with a history full of secrets, and a mysterious, captivating spiritual dimension. All the events conducting to its edification, especially of the Chapel and the Library, are enclosed in intricate and profound mysticism, where art and religion meet in most peculiar and unexpected ways, constructing a path with themes as intriguing as the Knights Templar, Rome, and Christendom, or even through esoteric connections to the spheres of Occultism. More than a historical monument, Biester Palace is a mysterious adventure in a fascinating and little-explored cultural labyrinth.
If you’re planning a trip to Sintra, or when you do so, instead of planning to wait for hours in line to visit Palaces that everyone has seen such as the Pena or Regaleira palaces, why don’t you try something different and visit Biester?
This chalet was erected in the last decades of the 19th century. The building was designed by the first Portuguese architect José Luiz Monteiro, and decorated by the best artists of the period, namely Luigi Manini, Italian set designer at La Scala opera house, architect, and painter, and Leandro de Souza Braga Portuguese woodcarver, amongst others. The wealth of stylistic influences it exhibits results in a whole of great historical and artistic importance, perfectly merging with the Romantic spirit of the surrounding landscape, whilst simultaneously asserting as a great expression of late-century modernity, highlighted by a leading functional approach.
The richness of the Biester Palace extends from the inside out. The park, an example of Sintra's natural exuberance, boasts a wide variety of exotic species, such as camelia trees from China and Japan, green and red beech trees from Central Europe, acacias from Australia, and American firs. Another highlight is the Pena Cave, a natural formation located in a rocky recess in the park.
But the Biester universe is much more than the eyes can reach, with a history full of secrets, and a mysterious, captivating spiritual dimension. All the events conducting to its edification, especially of the Chapel and the Library, are enclosed in intricate and profound mysticism, where art and religion meet in most peculiar and unexpected ways, constructing a path with themes as intriguing as the Knights Templar, Rome, and Christendom, or even through esoteric connections to the spheres of Occultism. More than a historical monument, Biester Palace is a mysterious adventure in a fascinating and little-explored cultural labyrinth.
If you’re planning a trip to Sintra, or when you do so, instead of planning to wait for hours in line to visit Palaces that everyone has seen such as the Pena or Regaleira palaces, why don’t you try something different and visit Biester?