Qunita da Regaleira

This is me in the beautiful gardens that stretch the Quinta da Regaleira. Yep, we are in Sintra. It is the most beautiful estate with towers and tunnels and small, hidden pathways. The story goes, the rich baroness of Regaleira in the 19th Century owned the land and sold it to a man with a plan. This man 's name was António Augusto de Carvalho Monteiro. Him and his two friends designed the whole complex which reflected his esoteric interests. He was a member of the Knights Templar (later known as the Order of Christ ), he was interested in alchemy, he was a Freemason, and also a Catholic. Because of Henry the navigator's  relation to the Knights Templar, I found astrolabes carved into stone and worked into the carpet all over. I also found rope motifs. There of course was the Initiation well which you couldn’t miss. It was for Freemason ceremonies to move up in the ranks and had a symbolic meaning as people came from the dark depths to find the light. Antonio’s catholic side also came up in the architecture as Saint Anthony and St. Theresa were carved onto the outside of the chapel.

So why in the world is this culturally or historically  important? I think that this estate reflects some of the interesting ideas of the time, especially freemasonry. It was interesting that people of that time were accepting additional beliefs along with their faith. From what I know of history, most people just accepted what the church told them and couldn't find any truth outside of that. I asked Dr. Hegstrom Why Antonio  liked St. Theresa so much as she hypothesized that it was because she he hailed from a group of people that felt they were getting closer to god through personal revelation and that she had to walk a precarious line of making sure people didn’t call her a heretic. Maybe with all of his interests he resonated with her? He seemed to accept that ideas outside the catholic faith could resonate and work with his beliefs. So I think his estate shows that people were no longer relying solely on the church to give them all truth. 

This contributes to making this city a cultural capital because it contains a record of some of the interesting fascinations of the time. I mostly am referring to all the freemason motifs and structures. From what I understand of American history, it was quite popular for a time, and I assume this was similar for European history. Any structure that gives us historical information on the lives of those in the past contributes to culture. Culture is not only bringing ideas from lots of people and places, but also remembering the ideas of the past. It also is a beautiful estate and has stunning architecture. It provides a beautiful open space that has a great view of Sintra and it made me feel connected to the town. Finally, this may sound odd but I think all cultural capitals need a place to see the city! This provides a sense of unity.