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The National Palace of Mafra, also known as Convento de Mafra, is a Portuguese national monument, located in Mafra, Portugal.

It consists of a palace and a convent, in Baroque style, of Roman and Germanic influence, which is associated with a garden and the Tapada Nacional de Mafra.

It comprises approximately 1,200 rooms, over 4,700 doors and windows, 156 staircases and 29 patios and halls.

It has been classified as a National Monument since 1907 and inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 2019, being part of the cultural site designated as Real Edifício de Mafra, comprising the palace, which integrates the basilica (with a set of 6 organs and 2 carillons) and the library, a convent and educational establishments, Jardim do Cerco and Tapada. Its construction was the subject of the work Memorial do Convento, by José Saramago.

History

Work on its construction began in 1717 on the initiative of King D. João V, by virtue of a promise he had made on behalf of the offspring he would obtain from Queen D. Maria Ana of Austria.

On October 22, 1730, the consecration of the Basilica took place. The completion of the entire property occurred almost a decade later, and the Library was only built between 1771 and 1794. The building was designed by João Frederico Ludovice, a Swabian goldsmith, architect and military engineer, and built by Chief Engineer Custódio Vieira, occupies an area of ​​approximately four hectares. Together with the Garden and Tapada, this former royal property covers around 1,200 hectares.

Recent investigations raise the hypothesis that the Capuchin convent erected in Mafra from 1717/1718 was a different building from the Royal Building of Mafra, whose construction began only in 1729/1730. They also call into question the origin of the construction in fulfillment of a royal promise in exchange for descendants, as well as the attribution of sole authorship of the project to Ludovice, which, moreover, had already been contested in 1962 by Ayres de Carvalho, Conservator of the Mafra National Palace since 1947.

The transfer of the National Museum of Music to part of the north wing of the building is underway.

The position of director of the National Palace of Mafra is currently held by Sérgio Gorjão.

Description

Basilica

The basilica, inspired by the great churches of Rome, is a temple of great dimensions, being the work of greatest reference in the reign of D. João V, from which the paradigm of arts in Portugal changes and the so-called Joanine Baroque spreads.

The Palace and its basilica are representative of the need for political affirmation of the Portuguese monarchy, inserting it into the framework of the great European monarchies, in close relationship with the Holy See, as a form of affirmation of Portugal restored, of the overseas imperial grandeur and power absolute power of D. João V, this power that came from his natural and divine right.

The royal chapel of the Palace of Mafra holds the dignity of a basilica by application of the Bull of Clement XI, of November 7, 1716, originally intended for the chapel of the Paço da Ribeira and which confers this category on the royal chapels of Portugal.

The laying of the first stone of the Royal Basilica of Mafra took place on the 17th of November 1717 and it was consecrated on the 22nd of October 1730, the 41st birthday of King D. João V, being dedicated to the Virgin Mary (generic title) and to San Antonio.

It is adorned by one of the largest sets of Italian statuary outside Italy, comprising 58 large statues, 3 medallions and a large crucifix with adoring angels, mostly produced in Rome and Florence, in Carrara marble.

Originally, for the basilica, several paintings were executed for the altarpieces and over-doors, most of them removed and replaced by high-reliefs in stone.

From the middle of the 18th century onwards, the new stone altarpieces of the basilica were carved, by Alessandro Giusti, an artist of Italian origin who, in Mafra, started the School of Sculpture (forerunner of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, in Lisbon, and of the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts, Rio de Janeiro).

The basilica has six historic organs, forming a unique set in the world, as they were designed and built to play, if necessary, simultaneously. At the end of the 18th century, the construction of the new set of six organs was commissioned during the regency of Prince D. João to the Portuguese master organ builders, António Xavier Machado e Cerveira e Peres Fontanes, having been installed there between 1792 and 1807, replacing the original organs of the reign of D. João V. This set was restored from 1994, having received the Europa Nostra award.

Current Religious Functions

Since 1836, the basilica has housed the service of the parish of Santo André de Mafra and the Royal and Venerable Brotherhood of the Blessed Sacrament of Mafra.

With the establishment of the Portuguese Republic, on October 5, 1910, and with the subsequent Law of Separation of the State of Churches, a significant part of the basilica's implements and cult objects became part of the collection of the sacred art nucleus of the then museum. created in the premises of the old palace and the extinct convent, and the respective reserves. However, some of these objects continued, and continue to this day, to be used in the religious functions of the basilica, under the provisions of Article 6 of the Concordat between the Holy See and Portugal of 1940, and point 2 of Article 22. º of the 2004 Concordat between the Holy See and Portugal, signed on May 18, 2004, which replaced the 1940 Concordat.

By decree of November 10, 2020, Pope Francis granted the canonical coronation of the image of Nossa Senhora da Soledade exposed to worship in the Basilica of Mafra, this being the third Portuguese Marian image to receive this pontifical grace. The image will be crowned on September 17, 2023, during the IV Pan-European Forum of Brotherhoods and Confraternities, which will take place in Mafra, in the basilica.

In June 2021, the Italian Province of Santo António dos Friars Minor Conventuals donated to the Brotherhood of the Blessed Sacrament of Mafra, for permanent exhibition in the basilica, an ex massa corporis relic, that is, a portion of the body of Santo António de Lisboa, with - patron saint of the temple.

Convent

In 1711, in fulfillment of a vow of thanksgiving for the birth of an heir, D. João V authorized the construction of a convent for the Capuchin friars of the Order of São Francisco, initially foreseeing the construction of a small monastery for 13 friars. With the decision to build, in Mafra, the new Royal Palace and to integrate there the dual function of State Residence and religious house, the initial projects to house an increasing number of friars (13, 40, 80) were abandoned and a new constructive model was adopted, in the Jesuit Nostro Way, allowing to house a community of 300 friars.

Designed by João Frederico Ludovice, who had been at the service of the Jesuits at the Church of Jesus, in Rome, and where he studied and lived with several renowned architects, he directed the work (integrated in the Palace-Convent complex), sharing its conclusion with the his son João Pedro Ludovice, also an architect, trained at the shipyard and Casa do Risco, in Mafra.

Three hundred and twenty-eight Arrábidos friars joined the community of Mafra in 1730, coming from various convents in the region that had been extinct by Royal Decree. In the reign of King José I, in 1771, the Franciscans, already in very small numbers, were sent to the Convent of Arrábida, in Setúbal, the religious house now housing the Regular Canons of Saint Augustine, transferred from São Vicente de Fora to Mafra. In the reign of D. Maria I, in 1791, the Franciscans returned to Mafra again.

In the period of greatest apogee of the religious community, in this convent, 120 barrels of wine, 70 barrels of olive oil, almost 10 tons of rice and 600 cows were consumed per year.

In 1820 the community numbered 40 friars, a number that remained relatively constant until the Franciscans definitively left in August 1833, in the midst of the liberal wars. Shortly afterwards, the Canons Regular of Santo Agostinho returned to Mafra for the last time, for a period of less than a year, until 30 May 1834, the date on which the extinction of the Religious Orders was decreed. As a property belonging to the Crown, this convent was not sold at public auction, passing to the National Treasury under the management of the Almoxarifado do Palácio until March 24, 1841, when a part was handed over to the Portuguese Army and another part remained for the use of the House. Real until the establishment of the Republic in 1910.

Palace

Contemporary bibliography mentions that D. João V promised to have a convent built in Mafra in gratitude for the birth of the first heir; other versions say that because he was cured of an illness he was suffering from. It is believed that the birth of Princess Maria Bárbara determined the fulfillment of the promise, authorizing the construction of a small convent in 1711.

The original project for the construction of the convent in Alto da Vela, in Mafra, was abandoned; as well as the idea of ​​building a new Royal Palace in Lisbon, for which Filippo Juvarra had made several sketches.

Around 1714 D. João V concentrates in Mafra the construction of the new Royal Palace, annexed to which the Franciscan Convent would exist. He hires Johann Friedrich Ludwig (known as João Frederico Ludovice), a goldsmith with architectural knowledge and experience in Rome. In the following years, the design phase takes place.

Work began on November 17, 1717, with the laying of the first stone of the basilica and the opening of the foundations for the construction of the main part of the palace, namely, the turrets, west wing and part of the north and south wings, continued in the area of ​​implantation of the building during the following years.

This megalomaniac project was financed with the fifth of Brazil's gold, which began to flow in great abundance into the Crown's coffers. At peak times, the shipyard employed 52,000 workers under the technical direction of chief engineer Custódio Vieira, who was ultimately responsible for public works in Portugal, such as the Águas Livres Aqueduct. In 1730 João Frederico Ludovice, after the consecration of the basilica, shares the direction of the works in Mafra with his son João Pedro Ludovice, trained in canons in Coimbra and also an architect trained in the Casa (or School) of Risco da Real Obra de Mafra, that accompanies them until the year 1744.

The ideas in this Palace-Convent were inspired by the large urban buildings of the international Baroque period, taking various Italian buildings as a reference.

From this palace the courts of D. João (prince regent) departed for Brazil (November 1807), ceasing to be used as a permanent residence. During the last reigns of the Dynasty of Bragança, the palace was used as a sporadic residence, especially during the summer and hunting seasons. From here, on October 5, 1910, the last Portuguese king, D. Manuel II, went into exile.

Although it had been open to the public since at least 1904, the date on which the local newspaper "O Correio de Mafra" published the conditions for visiting the Royal Building, informally establishing a visit circuit with a museum framework, it officially opened to the public in March 1911, being the first national palace open to the public as a museum. In it you can visit a significant part of the royal palace, the library and the infirmary with the double function of a chapel, with sixteen alcoves from where patients could see and hear mass.

On the upper floor are the palace rooms extending the entire length of the western façade, with the king's and queen's apartments, respectively in the north and south turrets, separated from each other by a 232 m long gallery/hallway. , the largest of its kind in Europe.

Rooms

Some of the main rooms in the palace are: Diana's room, throne room, north turret, north oratory, main gallery, room of discoveries, room of destinies, guard room, blessing room, chamberlain's room, south turret, south oratory , room of D. Pedro V, music room, games room, hunting room, dining room, great hall of the friars, monks' cells and the library.

Sala de Diana, the designation is due to the painting on the ceiling that represents Diana, the goddess of the hunt, a work by Cirilo Volkmar Machado (1748-1823), as part of the decorative campaign carried out from 1796 onwards by order of the Prince Regent D. João, future king D. João VI. Painting inspired by a painting by Domenichino ("Diana's Hunt"), existing at the Borghese Gallery in Rome.

Throne Room, intended for royal audiences. The ceiling painting represents an allegory to "Lusitania" within the scope of the decorative campaign developed from 1796 by Cirilo Volkmar Machado. Walls decorated with fresco paintings representing the eight Royal Virtues, by Domingos Sequeira (1768-1837).

North Tower, the King's private quarters, used until the death of the King-Consort D. Fernando (1816/1885), husband of Queen D. Maria II. The turret functioned as an independent apartment with the kitchen in the basement, the pantry on the ground floor, the chamberlain's bedroom and the King's apartments on the 1st and servants in the attics.

Main Gallery, one of the largest palace corridors in Europe, measuring 232 m between its ends, connecting the King's rooms in the North Tower to the Queen's rooms in the South Tower.

Discoveries Room, the ceiling painting is by Cirilo Volkmar Machado, represents the overseas feats of the Portuguese, representing Vasco da Gama (defeating Adamastor), Pedro Álvares Cabral, Christopher Columbus and Infante D. Henrique. The walls were filled with pictures representing the exploits of the Castros, Albuquerques, Almeidas and Mascarenhas in India, taken by King D. João VI to Brazil and never returned.

Room of Destinies, on the ceiling, painting by Cirilo Volkmar Machado, representing the "Temple of Destiny", stands out the figure of "Providence" that delivers to D. Afonso Henriques the "Book of Destinies of the Homeland". Also represented are Hugo Capeto, King of France, Count D. Henrique of Burgundy, father of D. Afonso Henriques and all other Portuguese monarchs up to D. João IV.

Sala da Guarda, former entrance to the palace where the Royal Guard stayed when the Royal Family was in the palace. The painting on the ceiling is by Cirilo Volkmar Machado and represents "The Precipice of Phaeton", a character and mythological story.

Sala da Bênção, a room that is the central point of the main façade, opening onto the D. João V square/yard and the Basilica. From the balconies, the royal family watched religious ceremonies and appeared to the people.

Sala dos Camaristas, as the name implies, was the room where the chamberlains stayed when the Royal Family was in Mafra. The painting on the ceiling is by Cirilo Volkmar Machado (end of the 18th century). children holding wreaths of flowers. Painting that intends to invoke the fecundity of Princess D. Carlota Joaquina de Bourbon, married to Prince D. João, future King D. João VI.

South Turret, the Queen's private quarters including her bedroom. The decoration of the walls was carried out in the campaign of 1855/58, on the occasion of the enthronement of D. Pedro V and his marriage to D. Estefânia. It was in this room that King D. Manuel II spent his last night in Portugal, before his departure into exile, when the Republic was established on 5 October 1910.

South Oratory, this is the private chapel of the queen's apartments in the south turret. The painting on the ceiling is by Cirilo Volkmar Machado, commissioned by the Prince Regent D. João (future D. João VI) and his wife, D. Carlota Joaquina, at the end of the 18th century, representing saints prostrate before the Holy Trinity asking for offspring to the throne.

Room of D. Pedro V, also called Red Room or Waiting Room, as it was here that guests waited before being announced and received by the royal family. Due to its decoration, this room reflects the romantic experience of the 19th century, dating from 1855 and 1858, during the works carried out in the palace on the occasion of the accession to the throne of D. Pedro V and his marriage to D. Estefânia respectively.

Music Room, also known as Reepção Room or Yellow Room. It was here that the Royal Family received their guests on festive dates, without the traditional royal hand kiss, abolished by D. Pedro V, a custom that was previously performed in the audience room of Torreão Norte.

Games Room, in this room there are several games played in the 18th and 19th centuries, namely Chinese billiards, the billiards table and the top game.

Hunting Room, the furniture and decoration of this room alludes to hunting, a taste and practice of the royal family during regular visits to the palace, with the display of numerous trophies.

Dining Room, dining room from the late 19th century, with table and chairs made in the Lisbon Penitentiary and offered to King D. Carlos.

Salão Grande das Infantas, one of the largest rooms in the palace, which is accessed from a set of former rooms intended to house the ladies-in-waiting of the Infantas of Portugal. In the 19th century, this space was used by the barracks and turned into a museum in the 20th century as a conventual space, although it never was, decorated with conventual furniture from the 18th century.

Palacete dos Infantes and Palacete das Infantas, Space intended for the private quarters of the Infantes and Infantas of Portugal, a housing unit positioned in the east body of the building, before the antechambers of the Library, which was accessed independently through stairs in the northeast vertices and southeast of the building. Although it is one of the distinctive features of this palace (which housed four private and independent accommodation units, two for royal people and two for male and female members of the royal family), these spaces are not open to the public.

Other emblematic spaces, There are several other spaces open to the public on the tour circuit, or which can be visited upon request: the Capela do Campo Santo, the Superior Infirmary, the Corridor of Classes, the Room of Literary Acts (or Conclusions), the Room of Chapter (or Elliptical Room), the Lavatories Room, the "de Profundis" Room, the conventual Refectory, the conventual grand staircase, the Parlatory and the Four Columns Room, the set of the various conventual and palatial kitchens, the former chapels of the 7 Altars and 5 altars (today respectively auditorium and military library), the sewage system, among others.

Mafra Palace was the main school of construction in the 18th century in Portugal. Not only engineers and architects learned and worked here, but also specialized workers – stone carvers, carpenters, glaziers and even sculptors. For this Royal Work, machines and cranes were invented to lift the large blocks of stone that sometimes required the simultaneous use of 30 or even 50 yoke of oxen. It was this great constructive experience that allowed the reconstruction of Lisbon after the earthquake of 1755. The stones used are from the region of Loures, Sintra and Pero Pinheiro, namely "Amarelo" from Salemas, "Encarnadão “Chainette”" and "St. . Florien Rose" from Lameiras, parish of Terrugem, "Lioz Azulino", from Maceira, parish of Montelavar or "Negro" by Mem Martins.

In the center, the imposing facade is enhanced by the towers of the basilica covered with a dome. The interior of the basilica is lined with marble and equipped with six organs from the early 19th century, with an exclusive repertoire that cannot be played anywhere else in the world. The atrium of the basilica is decorated with beautiful Italian sculptures. There was also the Mafra School of Sculpture here, created by D. José in 1754. Many Portuguese and foreign artists studied there under the guidance of the Italian sculptor Alessandro Giusti.

The royal building of Mafra is a complex organism, delimited at its angles by two tower-blocks, of military style, where we will find the palaces of the king and queen, with the church as the central point. The convent occupies the back of the building, that is, the main façade is intended for the king, and the convent will appear in its back part.

Library

It is the most important room in the palace-monastic complex, both because of its size and the purpose for which it is intended: to be a center of knowledge of all the main intellectual subjects in vogue in Baroque culture.

When the building was "inaugurated" with the consecration of the basilica, in 1730, this space was still under construction. The library was temporarily installed in two large rooms on the third floor of the convent on the west side and, although King João V never saw it installed, a large part of the collection was created during his reign, as a result of a consistent policy of incorporations.

Although it is a Royal Library, which can be enjoyed by members of the court, studies and the religious community, the installation takes place under the guidance of the Canons Regular of Saint Augustine. In 1771 work began on the construction of the shelves, designed by Manuel Caetano de Sousa (1738-1802), architect of the Royal House, having been carried out between 1773 and 1776. From 1792, some finishing work was carried out and the transfer of books, even with the unfinished shelves, without the gilding, marbled and medallions with the busts of writers, as appropriate to their typology.

The library is installed at the level of the royal palace and next to the private quarters of the Infantes and Infantas of Portugal. It develops into a large hall in a cruciferous shape, occupying an area of ​​943 m2 and measuring 83.60 m long by 9.24 m wide (which in the arms, in the middle of the room, are about 18.48 m). It is 11.88 m high, up to the center of the vaults and, in the middle, has an elliptical dome raised 13 m from the floor. On this one is carved a large medallion with a sun with a human face, an allegory to knowledge and wisdom, in the emerging context of the Enlightenment.

Currently, the Library continues to follow the organization of Friar João de Santana, who cataloged the books in 1809. These are arranged hierarchically in the Library and on the shelves, from sacred texts (to the north), such as Bibles, lives of saints, material of religion, doctrine and canon law; even “profane” works (in the south: exact sciences, human sciences, liberal arts, history, geography, law, among others); passing through classic works, periodicals, dictionaries and reference works, which are found on the “equator” of the Library, between these two “hemispheres”. It also has an important number of rare books, Renaissance Books of Hours and a collection of Books Prohibited by the Index, preserved in the Mafra Library under special papal authorization through the Bull of Benedict XIV, of 1745.

Patrimony

The estate of the National Palace of Mafra includes pieces from the Convent of Nossa Senhora e Santo António, predominantly from the 18th century, which includes painting, sculpture, metals, vestments, among others, commissioned by D. João V to the main European art centers and original pieces from the Royal Palace that are essentially from the 19th century and that reflect the functionality of the palace as a leisure residence linked to the hunting practiced by the royal family.

Painting

For the altars of the Royal Basilica, for the various chapels and conventual areas, such as the entrance hall and the refectory, Dom João V commissioned a collection of religious paintings that are among the most significant of the 18th century. In this remarkable set, works by the Italian painters Masucci stand out, with a “Sagrada Familia”, the favorite canvas of King D. João V, Giaquinto, Trevisani or Battoni and of Portuguese scholarship holders in Rome such as Vieira Lusitano and Inácio de Oliveira Bernardes, scholarship holders of the king D. João V at the Academy of Portugal in Rome. The painting collection includes Masters of the Italian School from the 1st half of the 18th century, with canvases that belonged to the altars of the basilica and the main rooms of the Convent. Also Sebastiano Conca (1680-1764) with the canvas “Imaculada Conceição”, a theme of particular devotion of the Franciscan order. Mafra became the greatest center for disseminating Roman taste at the time, both for the number of works and for the diversity of artists who worked here. The collection also includes 19th century Portuguese painters, such as António Manuel da Fonseca (1796 – 1890), Silva Porto, Carlos Reis or João Vaz, belonging to the personal collection of D. Fernando II, D. Luís and D. Carlos. Also noteworthy are the seascapes executed by King D. Carlos and a portrait of D. Manuel II, painted by José Malhoa in 1908 when he ascended to the throne.

Sculpture

The sculpture collection comprises the entire statuary of the basilica, commissioned by Johannine to great Italian masters, including Lironi, Monaldi, Bracci, Maini, Corsini, Rusconi and Ludovisi, constituting the most significant collection of Italian baroque sculpture outside Italy, consisting of 58 Carrara marble statues, which also includes his terracotta studies, as well as the production of the Mafra School of Sculpture, created here in the reign of King José I under the direction of the Italian master Alessandro Giusti, and by where important sculptors such as Machado de Castro passed.

Jewelery

The collection includes very diverse civil and religious jewellery, of Portuguese, Italian and also British origin, dating from the 18th and 19th centuries. Chalices and reliquaries from the 18th century by Italian masters form part of the collection. Within the scope of the palace, the estate comprises basins, candlesticks, milk jugs, desks.

Textiles/vestments

To decorate the Royal Basilica of Mafra, King João V ordered ornaments and vestments in France and Italy (Genoa and Milan). The collection consists of vestments in the five liturgical colors (crimson, white, black, purple, green). According to the king's specification, the vestments should be made of “... silk, not damask or carved, but strong and very hard [...] embroidered in gold-colored silk as similar as it can be to the same gold ". The importance of this collection is also due to the large number of pieces that compose it. As an example, the vestment used in the procession of Corpus Christi, has 25 chasubles, 8 dalmatics, 12 embroidered covers, 70 pluvials, in addition to cloths bookshelves, missal covers, pulpit cloth, umbels, etc. For most of the sets there were still canopies, banners, tabernacle pavilions, etc. All the sacristy “white clothes” were also ordered, such as albs, roquettes , quotas, towels, body, blood, etc.

Furniture

Little remains of the furniture from the Joanine period, as most of the furniture, tapestries and works of art were transported when the Court went to Brazil during the French invasions, never having returned from the colony, having been auctioned in 1890 and with an uncertain destination. , after the establishment of the republic in Brazil in 1889. Thus, the palace's current environments are fundamentally from the 19th century, quite diverse, with a predominance of the Empire style and romantic furniture. In the royal palace, the highlights are an Empire bed, in mahogany and bronze, the respective bedside tables from the mid-19th century. XIX, acquired by Queen D. Maria II, three chairs profusely carved in rosewood and even a carved and gilded credence signed by José Aniceto Raposo (1756-1824), notable carver and inventor. As for the conventual furniture, it essentially consists of beds, benches, tables and shelves belonging to the monks' cells, which were later used by the Court after the extinction of the Religious Orders. Noteworthy are three shelves by the master carver of the Casa das Obras e Paços Reais António Ângelo, commissioned by King João VI for the choir of the convent of the basilica, and a display from the former apothecary, one of the few examples from the 18th century existing in Portugal.

Ceramics

The ceramics collection is divided into the conventual nucleus, with pieces in white earthenware for everyday use (plates, bowls, cruet holders, mugs, etc.), manufactured in local potteries, with the inscription MAFRA. They were ordered and paid for by D. João V for the 300 friars who inhabited the Royal Convent of Mafra. From the former conventual apothecary, there are some straws and sleeves for medicinal preparations. The other core, relating to the palace, comprises utilitarian and decorative ceramics from the Royal Household, with emphasis on decorative porcelain of French and Oriental origin from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Metals

The metal collection includes religious utensils used in the basilica such as reliquaries, candlesticks, crosses, censers and boats, boxes for hosts, lamps made in Italy, torches and iron and bronze railings from the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament by René Michel Slodtz (sculptor) or the altar stools commissioned by D. João VI and executed under the direction of the sculptor João José de Aguiar at the Lisbon Arsenal. There are also objects of daily use in the convent, such as candlesticks and paddles, basins, pitchers and pitchers, braziers, among others. The collection is complete with objects for palatial use, such as lamps, candlesticks, platters, plates and kitchen utensils.

Chimes

The palace has two chimes cast in Antwerp and Liège by King João V, with a total of 92 bells. They are the largest carillons from the 18th century in the world. Each of them covers a range of four octaves (which is why they are considered concert chimes).

They were made by two bell founders from the Netherlands: Willelm Witlockx, one of the most respected bell founders in Antwerp, and Nicolaus Levache, a founder from Liège responsible for several chimes and who effectively left in Portugal a tradition of foundry that lasted for more than a century after the completion of the work in nothing.

This unique set also includes the largest known set of automatic melody cylinder and clock systems; both towers at Mafra have automatic touch mechanisms (four rotating cylinders with pegs and levers). This is a world landmark for the study of both automatic music and watchmaking. These intricate devices are capable of playing interchangeably between about sixteen different and complex pieces of music at any one time. Mafra's melodic cylinders were made by the famous De Beefe, a watchmaker from the Netherlands in the first half of the 18th century.

Clocks

Altogether, the National Palace of Mafra has seven clocks. Three high case clocks, one in the sacristy of the basilica and two in the convent (one in the refectory and another in the convent entrance hall). The palace has two clocks in each of the bell towers, a smaller mechanism for setting the hours of those in the towers and another sundial on the terrace of the monument.

The three tall case clocks, 3.70 meters high, were manufactured in 1730 by the Englishman William Trippett and purchased by King João V.

Conservation state

The building, as a whole, has presented, in recent years, several conservation problems, namely in terms of the windows, the existence of infiltrations and a large colony of pigeons. In January 2020, the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage (DGPC) released information that it would invest around 31 thousand euros in repairing windows and installing an anti-pigeon system in the National Palace of Mafra, to prevent infiltration and the pigeon entry. However, the work did not progress.

In 2022, the DGPC announced an investment of 8 million euros, until 2025, for the requalification of the Mafra Palace, with funds from the Recovery and Resilience Plan.

Ratings

It was classified as a National Monument by the Decree of 10-01-1907, DG, n.º 14, of 17-01-1907 (classified the Convent of Mafra); and by Decree of 16-06-1910, DG, n.º 136, of 23-06-1910 (classified the Basilica of Mafra). It was inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO, at the 43rd Session of the World Heritage Committee, on July 7, 2019, held in Baku, Azerbaijan.