Mafra is a little town with one of the biggest and ostentatious palaces in Europe, the Palácio Nacional de Mafra. The complex includes a huge park, a gorgeous basilica, a ridiculous library and gardens that seem to go on and on.
Mafra’s palace is the result of a promise made to God; in exchange for a child, King João V swore to erect a new palace. It’s probably a little questionable, promising to build yourself a fabulous new home, should the Almighty deliver the goods, but that's the way the story goes.
The King did make sure to include a glorious church in his master plan, so he wasn’t forgetting God entirely. The basilica is the centerpiece of the palace, set directly in the middle of the symmetrical layout. Its most striking feature is a set of six massive organs. Unique in the world, they’ve inspired musical arrangements which can only be played here.
Hence, the reason for our return to Mafra late on a Sunday afternoon.
The organs were built in the early 1800s, and were always intended to be played together. As a result, each organ has a slightly different range that blends impressively when played at the same time and creates exciting interplay when each takes a solo.
Two of the organs are installed in the Chancel, two are installed in the North transept, and two are installed in the South transept. When the organists are facing their keyboard, each might be able to see one other musician, but the only time they can fully see one another is when each walks out on his/her individual balcony to accept the audience's applause.
This month's concert included works by Charpentier, Bach, Müller, Lully, Glazotto, and Moreira.
Our little group of missionaries.
(Our first visit to Mafra was chronicled in our blog on
January 20, 2020, for those interested in seeing the other parts of the palace.)
This week we took two metro lines, a ferry across the Tagus River, and a train to...Setúbal.
Setubal is a fishing town that lies at the opening of the River Sado, on the coast just below Lisbon.
This historical city was once a royal residence during the reign of King John II towards the end of the 15th century. Unfortunately, the majority of the historical buildings of Setúbal were almost completely destroyed in the disastrous Lisbon earthquake in 1755.
Our visit to Setúbal kind of had two strikes against it from the get-go.
1. We really arrived too late in the day to begin this adventure.
2. We went on a national holiday - All Saints Day - and many things were closed.
However, we did enjoy exploring the narrow streets, admiring the architecture, eating in a sidewalk café, and taking a walk by the sea.
