Description of the attraction
The Capuchin monastery, whose official name is the Convento de Santa Cruz do Serra do Sintra (Monastery of the Holy Cross of the Sintra Mountains), is located in San Pedro de Penaferrim, municipality of Sintra.
The monastery was founded in 1560, and its first community consisted of eight monks who came from the monastery of Arrabida under the leadership of Alvaro de Castro, state adviser to King Sebastian I of Portugal, who was also called Sebastian I Desirable. Alvaro de Castro was the son of João de Castro, a Portuguese military leader and former governor of India. The founding of the monastery is closely associated with João de Castro and his family. There is a legend that João de Castro hunted in the mountains of Sintra and got lost in pursuit of a deer. Tired of trying to get out of the forest, João de Castro fell asleep at the foot of a cliff and had a dream in which he received a revelation that a Christian temple should be built on this site. João de Castro did not manage to build a monastery, but his son continued his work. Between 1578 and 1580, the chapel of Saint Antonio was built, not far from the wall that surrounded the monastery.
The most famous monk from the first community of the monastery was the monk Honorio, who lived for 100 years, despite the fact that he had subjected himself to bodily torture for the past thirty years. In the 17th century, the external decoration of the Chapel of the Dead Christ was completed, and in 1650 a sign was installed that showed the way to the monastery.
The monastery was built in a minimalist style and harmoniously blends with the surrounding cliffs of the Sintra mountains. Most of the buildings of the monastery were erected on the slopes of the mountains and at different heights. The monastery church has a longitudinal shape, one nave, and the sanctuary is located in the mountain. The facade of the church is simple, without decoration, which was typical of buildings of that time. In the highest zone of the monastery complex is the Onorio de Santa Maria grotto. Today, unfortunately, the monastery is practically destroyed.
