We drove half an hour from Sintra on a narrow winding road to a convent where a small group of people had gathered in front of locked gates and a vague sign that stated "we hope to open by 1 p.m." A Czech woman eager to practice her English elaborated: nearly all of Sintra's state-operated tourist sites had been closed in the morning because of a labor-related meeting. Quinta da Regaleira, for some reason, had been exempted which accounted for the unusual crowds.
The Convent of the Capuchos was as simple as the Sintra palaces had been elaborate. Tucked away on the side of a mountain, it is completely hidden from view by design. According to legend, a member of the nobility who briefly served as the fourth viceroy of Portuguese India, fell asleep while hunting deer in the area. He had a vision that led to the convent's construction in the mid-16th century with an eventual papal blessing. It housed just eight friars in a series of interconnected rooms so small that the taller men had to chip away at the stone walls so they could lie down to sleep on the floor (beds were permitted only in the infirmary). Doorways also were built shorter than a man's height to encourage genuflection.
Novices left behind their terrestrial lives when they walked through an entrance just beyond this seashell cross.
Though the Capucin order was reclusive and ascetic, their cramped and humble living quarters did acquire some aesthetic improvements thanks to royal patronage before Portugal ended its religious orders in 1834. An altar carved into stone was colorfully painted.
The bench, made from cork as are the doors and window, provides insulation from noise and humidity. As I moved, hunched, through the cool, silent rooms I felt an uncharacteristic shiver of spirituality. These guys were the real deal.
You almost can see the Atlantic coast from this window.
The bathing area looks almost luxurious in comparison to the rest of the convent.
Janet and Chris are seated on the steps of a second chapel, built between 1578 and 1580, along with a wall to enclose the convent.
Rumor has it that King Sebastian, who authorized the construction of the convent, picnicked around this fountain, just in front of where Janet and Chris are seated.
It looks as if the Capucins, who grew their own fruits and premises, decorated their water tanks. They ate meat only at Christmas and Easter.
The land is rocky and windswept.
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