Mateus Palace, Vila Real, Portugal

The Mateus Palace is located in the civil parish of Mateus, municipality of Vila Real, Portugal. The three primary buildings are the manor, the winery and the chapel.

The winery buildings date from the 16th century and were modified in the 1800s. Architect Nicolau Nasoni was involved in the project for the construction of the palace, which took place in the 18th century, possibly between 1739 and 1743, according to one expert. The work was authorized by António José Botelho Mourão, 3rd Morgado of Mateus. The current manor replaced the former family house which was built in the same location in the early 1600s. In 1910, it was classified as a National Monument. The palace is owned by the Mateus Foundation.

The manor house

The palace is constructed following a rectangular plan open to the west, blocked by a building which demarcates a main courtyard and behind a private quadrangle.Between the doorway and the courtyard, an ornamental pond, surrounded by trees, serves as a mirror.The courtyard, opened like a U, is closed off by a balustrade.Between the wings, the courtyard is closed by a transversing decorated structure of an emblazoned pediment, encircled by two statue guards in baroque style.

Its interior decoration includes some intricately carved chestnut wood ceilings, furniture from several periods, 17th and 18th century paintings and a library with many books.

The garden

Parts of the garden had been planted in the 1700s, modified in 1870 and expanded in 1930. In the 1950s and 1960s, the garden area was extensively modified and the lake was added to act as a mirror reflecting the manor house. A dense planting of chestnut and oak trees was added in the 1970s. The sculpture of a woman 'sleeping' in the water was created by João Cutileiro and installed in 1981.

Palaces, manors and town halls in Portugal

Address

Mateus, Vila Real, Portugal

See all sites in Vila Real

Details

Founded: 16th century
Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in Portugal

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
www.casademateus.pt

Rating

4.3/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Vila Real Cathedral (2,8 km)
Panoias Sanctuary (2,9 km)

Arnóia Castle (29,3 km)

User Reviews

Randy Wood (9 months ago)
A wonderful palace with interesting history and architecture. A small place, so it's a quick visit. The gardens are amazing and are a must see

Inga Grygalyte (9 months ago)
Absolutely worth the visit. We had a special guided tour and our guide Amanda made sure that it is special. Worth every minute spent there. We also had a wine tasting which was just amazing, not only you get to taste the wine but you also get a lot of information about wine making.

David Hollander (9 months ago)
Very interesting building a photo opportunity but appointment needed to visit the interior which is mostly a museum now. Beautiful gardens and small coffee shop but if you want to buy the Mateus Rosé wine buy it from the small shop outside on the road where it is about half the price compared to the shop in the grand house

Bill (9 months ago)
Beautiful, palace, which the family still use. Some of the areas where not accessible as the family/owners where in residence. Fantastic gardens, and grounds. You can also buy local produce at a very reasonable price,considering its location . The guide that we had was very informative and very funny, she made the trip worthwhile.

Stephanie Polakowski (12 months ago)
Just stunning grounds! Huge watering pools in front and back, must see 200 year old tree outside of the entrance, and luscious walking paths. Try to buy a bag of fresh local cherries for €3 outside of the palace at the little fruit stand- delicious. This is a beautiful visit.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Christian Lauw

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Mateus Palace