Located at an isolated spot high in the Sintra hills, the Convento dos Capuchos is an extraordinary hermitage comprising just twelve tiny cells hewn from the living rock above a wooded dell in a densely forested setting.
Encircled by mist for much of the year, it was founded in 1560 by the Viceroy of India, Álvaro de Castro, at the foot of Mount Monge as a small convent of reformed monks who followed the Franciscan rule and belonged to the Order of Friars Minor (the Capuchins).
A somewhat mystical place of pure simplicity and total seclusion, this old Capuchin monastery derives its nickname, the ‘Cork Convent’, from the cells that its first monks lined with cork gathered from the surrounding woods to absorb excessive moisture during the harsh winter months.
Demanding the radical submission of their body and soul, it was a sign of true humility and total self-denial for the few monks who chose to live and die in this remote location right on the top of the Serra de Sintra.
The force of their spirituality certainly endures to this day and a visit to this unusual spot serenely set amidst the bursting green vegetation of Sintra, to the west of Lisbon, has been described as a kind of Alice in Wonderland experience where people edge their way along the convent’s narrow corridors before stooping to enter the monks’ cells.
Officially known as the Convento da Santa Cruz da Serra de Sintra (Convent of the Holy Cross of the Sintra Mountains), each of its dark, meagrely-furnished cells features a rough stone bench, although some are minimally decorated with sea shells from the nearby beaches.
In fact, the convent was so sparsely decorated that the incumbent King Filipe II of Spain once proclaimed that it was the poorest convent in his kingdom (the richest being Escorial) when the House of Habsburg ruled Portugal from 1581 to 1640.
Where to go in Sintra
In many ways it is also a very historic place. The ill-fated King Sebastião would often visit the Cork Convent to converse with the monks, and Friar Honório died in his cell in 1596 after spending the last 36 years of his life there in deep prayer and intense contemplation.
Detached from the main part of the monastery that houses the cells you’ll find the kitchen, refectory, washroom and a bread oven, along with some small chapels used for private prayer.
A good time to visit the Convento dos Capuchos (indicated on the Google map below) is spring through early summer when wild flowers carpet the mossy ground to the sound of a soothing soundtrack of running brooks and melodic birdsong in what can only be described as a fairy-tale environment.
The monastery is best reached by the ridge road, the Estrada da Pena (also known as the N247-3) westward along the crest of the magnificent Serra de Sintra.
Sintra (and its environs) offers a wealth of must-see monuments and attractions in a relatively compact area, chief amongst them being its ancient Moorish castle, Sintra National Palace (located in the heart of the village) and Pena Palace, one of Portugal’s most striking architectural landmarks.
The long list of other nearby attractions worth visiting includes Quinta da Regaleira, the Palace of Monserrate, the wine town of Colares and the long-running São Pedro country market which has been held on the second and fourth Sunday of each month since the 12th century.
If you still have time, make sure you take a ride on Sintra’s historic tram before visiting Cabo da Roca (the westernmost point of the European mainland), after which you can enjoy tea on the terrace at Lawrence’s Hotel, one of the world’s oldest hotel establishments and the place where Lord Byron wrote part of his most famous poem, Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, in 1809.
Need more sightseeing ideas for your next visit? Listen to the Portugal Travel Show, the podcast for people planning a trip to sunny Portugal…
