Ajuda National Palace

This is a project subsequent to the 1755 earthquake and the fire that destroyed, in 1794, the Royal Palace of Nossa Senhora da Ajuda, built in wood. It has been a discontinuous construction process, still to be concluded, marked by the decline of the Portuguese monarchy. The initial baroque project was revised as a neoclassical one by the author of the São Carlos National Theatre, José da Costa e Silva, and only a third of the idealised palace was built. Its occupation by the royal family in the 19th century and later closure in the early stages of the republican regime allowed for much of the royal family’s residence to remain to this day. This museological exceptionality in the European context has been valued through the reconstitution and scientific research on the occupation of interior spaces. A project by the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage is under construction to complete the west façade and bring new welcome and exhibition conditions for visitors.