Parques de Sintra restores the Sacristy, Atrium and Passage Rooms of the National Palace of Pena

In fulfilment of its mission to safeguard the heritage under its management, Parques de Sintra is currently working on a conservation and restoration project for the Sacristy, the Sacristy Atrium, and Passage Rooms of the National Palace of Pena. This intervention, which follows the constant monitoring and analysis of the building, aims to restore these spaces and provide visitors with a better reading and interpretation of the spaces in question.

The work includes restoring the wall coverings (decorative painting, tiles, plasters and stone) and the wooden, ceramic and ceramic stoneware floors. Of particular note in this regard is the rare ceramic stoneware floor in the Sacristy Atrium, featuring patterned coloured tiles which date back to the early period of the palace's construction (around 1840). This is the only floor of its kind which remains from this phase, since all other such tiles were replaced by wooden floors in the early 1880s.

At the same time, all the openings in this area of the palace will be restored and the electrical infrastructure and scenic lighting in the rooms overhauled with the aim of improving visitor experience.

The Sacristy, Sacristy Atrium, and Passage Rooms make up the body connecting the two main centres of the Palace, that is, between the old 16th-century monastery adapted to a residential area and the new palace wing added by King Ferdinand II in the 19th century.

The space currently known as the Sacristy Atrium was used as an entrance for visitors during the time of the monarchy, but in the 1860 inventory it appears as the "Main Entrance to the Old Building" and would never cease to be used as such from then on. This entrance had a different function to the "Entrance Room by the Cabaças Stairway", which served guests headed directly to the Great Hall during larger receptions.

The First Passage Room served as a conduit to the Smoking Room and the Great Hall, and also as an antechamber to the studio of the Countess of Edla and King Ferdinand II. The second Passage Room also functioned as a domestic distribution space.

Given the high historical value and complexity of the intervention, the work is expected to last until the second half of 2024. The project, budgeted at 500,000 euros, will be carried out alongside visits to the Palace, in line with the "Open for Works" policy, which aims to raise public awareness of the importance and specificities of heritage conservation work, as well as of the human and financial investment it entails.

In the last decade, the parks and monuments managed by Parques de Sintra have received around 25 million visitors, and the company has invested 40 million euros in the built and natural heritage under its care. With no recourse to the state budget, Parques de Sintra is committed to a pioneering management model based on leveraging the heritage to generate income which is then reinvested in its recovery and maintenance. Continuing in the same vein, the company plans to invest around 30 million euros in the future to enhance the parks and monuments under its management.