The area around the Buçaco Palace was part of a
Discalced Carmelite convent established in 1628. The monks of the
Convento de Santa Cruz do Buçaco not only built a convent but also created a luxurious garden with many species of trees. The garden was supposed to represent
Mount Carmel (where the order was founded) and the
Earthly Paradise. Date from the late 17th century a series of chapels with representations of a
Via Crucis in the garden. Part of the convent, including the church with
Baroque altarpieces, is still preserved beside the palace. At the entrance of the old convent, there is a plaque to the
Battle of Bussaco which commemorates the fact that Viscount Wellington, who later became the
Duke of Wellington, spent the night in the convent after the battle on 27 September 1810. The Carmelites left Buçaco in 1834 century following the
dissolution of the monasteries in Portugal.
Palace Hotel Late in the century there were plans to turn the ancient convent into a royal residence for
Queen Maria Pia, wife of
King Luís I. However, difficult political circumstances soon led to the decision to turn the palace into a hotel. façade of Palace Hotel of Bussaco (
Casa dos Brasões). The Palace Hotel of Buçaco was built between 1888 and 1907. The first architect was the
Italian Luigi Manini (1848–1936), who designed a Romantic palace in
Neo-Manueline style, evoking the 16th-century architectural style that characterised the peak of the Portuguese
Age of Discovery. The Buçaco Palace is inspired in iconic
Manueline buildings like the
Jerónimos Monastery and the
Belém Tower, both located in
Lisbon. Manini was succeeded by Nicola Bigaglia, José Alexandre Soares and Manuel Joaquim Norte Júnior, the latter responsible for the annex
Casa dos Brasões (House of the Coat-of-Arms). The inner rooms are richly decorated with Neo-Manueline portals and stucco work imitating Manueline
rib vaulting, being also an important showcase of Portuguese painting and sculpture of the early 20th century. The inner walls are also decorated with
tile (
azulejo) panels by
Jorge Colaço. These panels depict scenes taken from
Portuguese literature as well as historical events like the
Battle of Bussaco. ==References==