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GPS 38.699917825348074, -9.27477023403622

Quinta Real de Caxias, or Jardim da Cascata, or Jardins da Quinta Real de Caxias, is the main park in Caxias, Oeiras, classified as a Property of Public Interest since 1953. It is a unique example in the panorama of garden art due to the architectural, sculptural and allegorical value of the waterfall, viewpoint and sculptural groups. Its sculptures by Machado de Castro are surrounded by a Versailles-style atmosphere.

Location

It is located in front of Caxias Station, approximately 100m away. Just cross Jardim das Palmeiras and Estrada da\ Gibalta.

Description

Famous for its waterfall, these gardens invite you to pleasant walks in the sophisticated social life of the 18th century. When active, the waterfall spills over the lake, where the sculptural set by Machado de Castro stands out. The statues represent a mythological scene in which the Goddess Diana came to bathe next to the cave where her beloved shepherd Endymião slept eternally. From the statues, various water features come out, lending even more movement to the extras on this gigantic Wagnerian stage.

Quinta Real de Caxias also has communicating galleries, two rooms with decorative painting and the Royal Palace. Palm trees and araucarias help to beautify the gardens located in Caxias, very close to Praia de Caxias. Its work and embellishment dragged on during the 18th and early 19th centuries. The set of gardens and farm went through several phases of construction, with the property being progressively enlarged. There was a geometric grid that ran through the property according to the axes defined by the main path and whose diagonals intersected forming clearings framed by boxwood beds where small lakes were located. The waterfall was built by the Mathias Francisco brothers and is located in the center of the garden and is decorated with sculptural elements from which jets of water depart.

History

Property of the Casa do Infantado, Quinta Real de Caxias, with the respective palace, was built in the first half of the 18th century by Infante D. Francisco de Bragança, son of D. Pedro II and D. Maria Sofia de Neuborg, brother of D. João V. Its construction continued until the beginning of the 20th century. XIX. From the works of the 2nd half of the 20th century. The construction of the monumental waterfall and organization of the garden date back to the 18th century, as well as the terracotta sculptural groups by Machado de Castro (1731-1822), considered the greatest Portuguese sculptor of the time.

The set of gardens and Quinta Real underwent several stages of construction, with the property having increased by successive incorporations of other couples, unifying the various plots originally separated by walls. Located right on the seafront, this small "Jardim Le Nôtre", as Branca Colaço classifies it in his "Memoirs of the Cascais Line", is a good example of the sophisticated social life of the 18th century. The fashion of the French Garden and the grandeur and spectacularity of the gardens of the Father of Versailles, designed by the great master André Le Nôtre, specialist in gardening for the Sun King, Louis VIX, was copied and imitated by all the European Courts of the time. The use of water as an ornamental element is also characteristic of this style, appearing associated with the most varied built elements. One of these examples is the waterfall, a typical element of baroque gardens that was widely used in Portugal in the 17th century. XVIII.

It was the pleasure farm of Queen D. Maria I and D. Luís used it as a residence for a few weeks before settling in the Palácio da Ajuda. In these charming gardens, inspired by those of the Palace of Versailles, we find lakes, water features and shrubs with geometric shapes, evoking baroque pomp. The recovery carried out by the Câmara de Oeiras deserved the European Prize attributed to the Restoration of Historic Gardens. The farm has been classified as a Property of Public Interest since 1953.

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