What to do and see in Mafra, Central Portugal: The Best Sights & Landmarks

Exhibition areas Exhibition Gallery and Foyer Municipal Library (includes Audiovisual Room, under restructuring and Multimedia Room) Auditorium (capacity: 174 seats)

The Royal Convent of Mafra, later named the National Palace of Mafra, is an imposing work from the reign of D. João V and the most important symbol of Baroque architecture in Portugal. Located in the heart of the village of Mafra - in the square named after the king who ordered it to be built, it is the only National Monument that includes a Royal Palace, a Basilica and a Convent. There are more than 40,000 m2 and 1200 divisions that include spaces and instruments unique in the world. This is the case of the Library, which holds all the knowledge of a collection with more than 36 thousand volumes; the bell set consisting of two chimes with a total of 98 bells; and of the six historic bodies that returned to echo through the Basilica in 2010. In addition to these unique characteristics, the Palácio-Convento de Mafra has accumulated several distinctions over the years. Classified as a National Monument in 1910, and is, since 2019, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem and Santo António is located in a small courtyard with a privileged view over the Atlantic, in the center of Ericeira. Some say that the building even delimits the northern part of the village in the south. The chapel underwent several expansions and works over time before becoming the building that is next to the Fisherman's beach and that dates back to the 17th century. There are engravings on the doors that mark the year 1644 as the first year in which improvements were made; exactly two centuries later, in 1844, it was intervened at the behest of the last mayor of the municipality; at the beginning of the 20th century, new remodeling took place; and in 1993, the carving, painting and gilding of the altarpiece were restored.