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Monserrate Palace is a palace in the Portuguese city of Sintra, in the Lisbon district (southern Portugal), built in its present form starting in 1856 at the behest of Sir Francis Cook and surrounded by gardens created from the 18th century

History

In the 16th century, there stood on the estate a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Monserrat, erected in 1540: the name Monserrate derives from this chapel.
Originally, the Monserrate estate was an area devoted to the cultivation of fruit and vegetables owned by the Melo and Castro family, who bought it in 1718.
During the 18th century, the estate was leased by Gerard de Visme, who had gardens created there, and by the wealthy young Englishman Thomas Beckford. Beckford had the palace renovated and created a botanical garden.
The Monserrate estate was then leased in 1856 by Sir Francis Cook, 1st Viscount of Monserrate, also a British national, who had the palace remodeled into a Moorish-style mansion and the gardens renovated. Cook, who seven years later would become owner of the estate , enlisted the help of English landscape painter William Stockdale and botanist William Nevill.

Architecture

The Monserrate estate is located about 3.5 km from the center of Sintra. The estate covers an area of 30 hectares.
The palace is surrounded by exotic plants and waterfalls.
Altogether, some 2,500-3,000 species of plants grow in the park ; among the varieties of present are the Chinese false cypress, dracaena draco and Himalayan rhododendron.
Inside the estate are then a Japanese garden, a Mexican garden, and a chapel made as a ruin.
The main rooms of the palace, namely the Sala de la Musica, Sala de Estar, Sala de Jantar, and the library, are located on the ground floor.
The wonderful carved wooden door of the Monserrate Palace Library
Sintra, Portugal The most outstanding feature of the Monserrate Palace Library is the walnut door, carved and decorated with the classical theme of the Goddess of the Hunt. It is moreover the only room that has a very solid door because it was used as a secret laboratory.

From Wikipedia