The best road cycling routes around Sobralinho

After the January hurricane, the Fátima Mother Church has a new cross on the tower. Praise the Lord.

The National Palace of Mafra, located in the town of Mafra, Portugal, is a monumental complex that includes a palace, a convent, a basilica, and the Tapada de Mafra (hunting grounds). Construction began in 1717, commissioned by King John V of Portugal in fulfillment of a vow for the succession of his wife, and it is the most important monument of Portuguese Baroque. Since 2019, the Palace has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Baroque architectural complex comprising a Palace, a Basilica and a Convent, together with gardens and a vast Tapada, forming a historical heritage complex covering over 1,200 hectares, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2019. Built by order of King João V in fulfilment of a succession vow, Mafra Palace is one of the most important Baroque monuments in Portugal and one of the largest in Europe, occupying a construction area of 38,000 m2, with around 1,200 rooms, 5,200 doors and windows and 156 staircases. UNESCO has recognised this monument as a feat of architecture, engineering and human genius. Based on designs by Filippo Juvarra, its final design was carried out by the German Johann Friedrich Ludwig (João Frederico Ludovice) and construction was led by the kingdom's chief engineer, Custódio Vieira. The first stone was laid on 17 November 1717 and the Basilica was consecrated on 22 October 1730. The Basilica, inspired by the great churches of Rome, has one of the most significant collections of Italian sculpture of its time, with 58 statues, a large crucifix with archangels in adoration and three high reliefs, as well as an important collection of paintings, representing some of the most famous painters active in Italy and France in the early 1730s. The collection of vestments and liturgical implements is also very significant, due to its quality and rarity. The Palace Library is one of the most iconic spaces in the monument. With a refined selection of around 30,000 volumes, it is one of the exponents of Enlightenment knowledge representative of the court culture of the first half of the 18th century. Also noteworthy is the bell ringing ensemble, with 120 bells, which include two of the largest carillons of the 18th century, cast in Antwerp and Liège in the workshops of Willem Witlockx and Nicolas Levache, respectively. The bells are accompanied by two clocks dating from the first half of the 18th century, as well as four automatons for automatic music. Inside the Basilica is a set of pipe organs, unique in the world, consisting of six instruments designed to play together, built between 1792 and 1807 by the Portuguese organ builders António Machado e Cerveira and Joaquim Peres Fontanes. The Mafra Palace has been a member of the Association of European Royal Residences since 2009.

Just before entering the town of Sobral do Monte Agraço

publication of the royal charter of 26 July 1811, which, in order to mitigate the devastating effects of the French invasions, prescribed, among many other measures, the distribution of seeds to farmers in order to re-establish cereal production. The Real Celeiro was active for over sixty years, between 1812 and 1873, but, quoting Guilherme Henriques, “it died, like all good institutions, annihilated by abuses”. The City Council now holds the archive of the old Celeiro, which, although not very voluminous, nevertheless allows us to reconstruct almost the entire history of this important local institution of the 19th century. Commissioned to be rebuilt by the Municipality of Alenquer in 2002, it opened its doors as the Wine Museum and headquarters of the Lisbon Wine Route in 2006. Its interior was remodeled and its museology project renewed at the end of 2018, and it reopened its doors to visitors in February 2019. (Source: www.alenquer.pt)

Operating since April 2006 in a 19th-century building, the Wine Museum exhibits, offers tastings and allows the purchase of the best wines from the region. Around 20 producers from the Lisbon Wine Routes Association are represented.

Mafra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The palace is always worth a trip to see it, to tour the rooms, visit the church and enjoy a Galao and a Tosta Mista in the café directly opposite. This stop is a highlight for all cyclists on the various tours around Mafra.