Queluz Palace

Located 12 kilometers west of Lisbon, Queluz Palace served as the Portuguese royal family’s summer residence from 1760 until 1794 and their permanent residence until 1830. Often referred to as the “Portuguese Versailles,” the palace and garden were designed and built in four phases under the direction of the Infante Dom Pedro, later King Pedro III (1717-1786).

Mateus Vicente de Oliveria (1706-1785), architect and royal superintendent of works and his successor, French artist Jean-Baptiste Robillon (d.1782), borrowed elements of late-Baroque and Rococo styles popular in France and Italy at the time and combined them with traditional Portuguese details to create the highly ornate architecture and garden of Queluz.

Queluz garden is a network of interconnected, yet individualized ‘outdoor rooms’ characterized by geometric plans, carved stone elements and water features. Historically, a sophisticated hydraulic system consisting of holding tanks, underground passages and aqueducts serviced the water features. Perhaps the most prominent of the water features was the 115 meter Grand Lake or Canal. Lined with hand-painted, polychromatic ceramic tiles, the Grand Canal diverted water from the River Jamor to the garden.

The grounds of Queluz are also distinguished by an impressive collection of lead garden and fountain sculptures installed between 1755 and 1756. Produced by renowned British sculptor and castor John Cheere, subjects range from the four seasons to classical deities to copies of sixteenth-century Italian sculptures. With over 125 individual statues, the lead sculpture collection of Queluz is one of the world’s largest remaining in-situ.

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