Quinta da Regaleira is the most mystical place in Portugal ...

There is a place in Portugal that is remembered for a lifetime. Quinta da Regaleira Manor is a mystical and absolutely incredible place full of secrets and secret signs. At the end of the 19th century, this estate was bought by a millionaire, Dr. Antoniu Augusto Carvalho Monteiro. He dreamed of creating a place that would reflect his mystical worldview. The Italian architect Luigi Manini volunteered to carry out his plans ... They managed to fully realize the idea - this place is still amazing today.

But first things first.

Here it is - visible from afar. You can’t confuse him with anything.

They say that countless puzzles are hidden in the alleys of the park and in order to "decipher" all the secrets of the Quinta da Regaleira park, you need to know the history of Portugal, its tales, legends, traditions ... And also to understand the topic of Masons and Templars ... Look, there’s even trees "in the image."

Before you is a tower that you can climb. One of the attractions of the park.

You can walk in the park for several hours. I'm serious. It is huge, and, wandering around it, you constantly come across some beautiful buildings. They are scattered everywhere.

The castle is visible almost everywhere.

And we got to a small but very important chapel. She's not big. But it makes a big impression. And it also encrypted the history of the city of Nazare, about which I already told you :)

Quinta da Regaleira Park is multi-tiered. Many paths descend from the hillsides. To be careful, you can find symbols associated with various religions and religious cults, alchemy, Freemasonry, the orders of the Templars and the Rosicrucians, as well as famous literary works. Yes, I didn’t say: the millionaire Monteiro was a freemason :)

At the top of the park is a forest. Below everything looks noble: flowers, sculptures, canals, grottoes and caves, arbors and carved benches. We go there.

The sculptures are like living things. In any case, the wild imagination suggests that they are able to observe visitors :)

There is a grotto. Dark and mysterious.

And again the trees. Look how interesting they are! It seems to me that in winter, without dense vegetation, they look even more beautiful - these twisted branches are visible ...

The most famous and mysterious place of the estate is the Well of Initiation. Its depth is almost 30 meters, 9 tiers of a spiral staircase lead down. According to legend, these nine levels mean the nine circles of hell, purgatory and paradise described by Dante. At the bottom of the well there is the coat of arms of Monteiro - an eight-pointed star with a Templar cross. On the wall is a shining triangle - one of the symbols of Freemasonry. It is believed that there were religious ceremonies of the Masonic brotherhood.

We are inside.

You can get into the well through the caves. There are a lot of them - they diverge in different directions. When, looking around, behind her friends, she experienced something like a panic attack. Especially when I realized that my son went to explore the caves on his own. Screaming here is useless - the voice is drowning in stone ... In the distance - my researcher with a flashlight in his phone. Found :)