Why Does Quinta Da Regaleira Draw Millions of Visitors?
The Portuguese palace is full of mysterious features
Most people have ideas about their dream home. To some it’s a place in the suburbs with a white picket fence. Carvalho Monteiro’s fantasy abode was different, though. Even though he owned magnificent buildings, he still did not like their designs. He later launched a quest to transform one estate into a gallery of occult symbols.
Minds soak influences
António Augusto de Carvalho Monteiro was just an eccentric millionaire to some. Unlike many wealthy people, he devoted much of his wealth to a personal quest for knowledge.
He collected thousands of stuffed animals, preserved insects, and travelled the world to connect with experts. During these investigations, he stumbled upon the writings of secret societies. The ideologies of alchemy, the Freemasons, Rosicrucians, and Knights Templar charmed him.
In the early 1890s, Carvalho Monteiro bought the Quinta da Regaleira estate. He added more land to the estate, which was in Sintra (Portugal), over the next two years. Afterwards, he…
