Massive conical chimneys taper as they soar towards orange clouds above the early 1400s kitchen of the Palácio Nacional de Sintra, the Portuguese monarchs’ summer retreat from Lisbon. The landmark chimneys, unique in Europe, were built by King John I to vent smoke and heat high above the palace as meat was roasted for the royal family and hundreds of courtiers.
Sintra, Lisbon region, Portugal: these two massive conical chimney stacks, unique in Europe, once vented heat and smoke from the royal palace kitchen below them as it roasted the carcasses of animals hunted by the King of Portugal and his courtiers. The landmark chimneys tower above the Palácio Nacional de Sintra or Sintra National Palace, the court’s former retreat from the summer heat of Lisbon. They rise to a height of 33 metres (108 feet) and are an international iconic symbol of the town and palace of Sintra. The monumental kitchen and its chimney stacks were built by Dom João I (King John I), who was born in 1357 and ruled Portugal from 1385 until his death in 1433. After 1415, John rebuilt and enlarged the original Moorish palace, creating new rooms around a central courtyard that celebrated his royal dynasty, the House of Aviz. The kitchen was built to serve the entire palace, with huge fireplaces and ovens capable of preparing food for hundreds of courtiers. The hills around Sintra was prime royal hunting land, easily able to provide enough meat for the royal family and the rest of the court. In Portugal, as in other countries, banquets and feasts were one of the fundamental ways in which the monarch forged and maintained a union with his subjects and although they were only occasional, they ranked amongst the most important of court events.
Size: 4912px × 7360px
Location: Palácio Nacional de Sintra, Sintra, Lisbon region, Portugal.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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