Visit to National Palace of Mafra and Cyrillo's ceiling paintings
Saturday, 8 November 2025
Saturday, 8 November 2025
The National Palace of Mafra, or the “mole mafrense”, is Portugal`s largest national monument and was listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2019.
As well as its excellent architecture, designed by the german arquitect Johann Friedrich Ludwig in the first halph of the 18th century, its interiores contain the pictorical cycle of Cyrillo Volkmar Machado, one of the most completed known works by this artist. Cyrillo was the director of the pictorical work from 1796 to 1807 and was the main designer of the subjects expressed in the palace´s ceiling paintings.
Cyrillo conceived various themes, mostly mythological and allegorical, ranging from the praise of the Portuguese Royal House, in the figure of the prince-regent D. João (future D. João VI), to the overseas discoveries, namely the discovery of the sea routes to India and Brasil.
As well as its excellent architecture, designed by the german arquitect Johann Friedrich Ludwig in the first halph of the 18th century, its interiores contain the pictorical cycle of Cyrillo Volkmar Machado, one of the most completed known works by this artist. Cyrillo was the director of the pictorical work from 1796 to 1807 and was the main designer of the subjects expressed in the palace´s ceiling paintings.
Cyrillo conceived various themes, mostly mythological and allegorical, ranging from the praise of the Portuguese Royal House, in the figure of the prince-regent D. João (future D. João VI), to the overseas discoveries, namely the discovery of the sea routes to India and Brasil.
