Ancient National Palace of Mafra Monastery in Portugal

Renowned for its gigantic proportions attests to the magnificence of a monarch João V, because of a promise that the young king had sent to Queen Maria Anna of Austria gives him a son; who had the good fortune to take advantage of gold and diamonds that came from Brazil incessantly and simultaneously translates the character of a people at that time.
For this and at the same time Palace and Monastery.
The construction works began with an extraordinary ceremony November 17, 1717 according to the draft João Frederico Ludovice in the style of Classic Italian Architecture.
The monarch ordered that the mountains were in the room building was completely paved create the space for construction of the colossal building during 13 years were consumed copious amounts of money and worse an untold number of lives.
The building is shaped like a Qudrat of 220 meters on each side occupying an area of 4,000 square feet with 4,500 windows, 880 doors and rooms two towers of 68 meters height two haughty towers.
The main facade is composed of three bodies at the center front of the temple on the south side of the residence of the Queen and opposite the residence of the King provided with spacious balconies.

The Library of the Palace is certainly the most important treasures.

Structured according to a Rococó style architecture presents a collection of about 40,000 volumes of incalculable value.

Religious manuscripts are still in parchment including an edition of The Lusiads of Luis de Camoes years 1572.

And then a little curious to observe the presence of bats in the enormous hall of the Library has allowed the proper preservation of books, small birds feeding on insects harmful to the paper took part in the conservation of all books!

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