There’s something inherently compelling about secret societies. Are the Illuminati really out there? What goes on at Yale’s Skull and Bones meetings? Is the New World Order truly pulling all our strings? It’s both exciting and scary to imagine there’s something more lurking beneath the everyday trappings of the world.
And yet, answers about the true historical influence of some secret societies might be right in front of those touring one ancient castle in Portugal. Lost in the beautiful architecture are certain details that have folks questioning the architect’s curious associations.
Quinta Da Regaleira in Sintra, Portugal is a wildly popular tourist attraction that is aesthetically beautiful and contains a wealth of secrets. Hidden inside, there’s a history more fascinating than most people truly understand.
Today, the picturesque patch of land is occupied by a looming and mysterious castle, but the history of the area goes back much further than that. Modern day visitors don’t always grasp the extent of the palace’s legacy.
The area of Sintra that the estate is located on was owned by the Romans from the mid-2nd century BC until years later when a highly peculiar (and somewhat frightening) group took hold of the region.
The group in question was called the Order of Christ, and they considered themselves a successor to the Knights of Templar, an even older organization with a troubled history and bizarre initiation practices.
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The Knights of Templar was a Catholic military order that thrived during the 1100s. In order to join, one was forced to sign over all of his money and possessions, as well as take a life long vow of celibacy and obedience. Fun!
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Then, in the late 16th century, Portugal’s first king — Afonso I — built a castle on the land. Unfortunately, this structure would soon undergo a terrifying and unpredictable fate that left it in utter ruins.
In 1755 an earthquake swept the region, completely destroying Afonso’s estate. However, this natural disaster had a silver lining, as it paved the way for Carvalho Monteiro, the man who would transform the place into the fascinating enigma it is today.
Monteiro, an entomologist, acquired the land in 1904. He and his architect friend, Luigi Manini, got to work straight away. They had some truly wild plans for the idyllic location.
Monteiro wanted the completed castle to reflect his eccentric interests and hobbies. By the time it was finished six years later, he had definitely succeeded. Quinta Da Regaleira was most certainly a masterpiece.
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Physically, the castle is a combination of Neo-Gothic, Italian Neo-Rennaisance, and Manueline, which is a fancy architectural style that was popular in 16th-century Portugal. However, the messages contained inside are what make the place truly chilling.
This is because Monteiro designed the building to contain many veiled references to different secret societies, including alchemists, Masonry, the Knights Templar, and the Rosicrucians, a 15th-century brotherhood that claimed to have supernatural ancestral knowledge. But it gets odder.
The expansive grounds surrounding the palace have many natural features, including waterways, fountains, grottoes, and gardens. However, out of all these, the most fascinating detail is the initiation well…
This well isn’t your typical watering hole. It’s huge and ornate, and contains a spiral staircase of nine floors carved into the stone, descending all the way to the bottom. The number of floors included was no coincidence.
The number nine has a special significance in Christianity, representing the completeness of God as well as finality. It is also representative of the eight founding members of the Knights Templar, along with the Grandmaster.
As scary as it sounds, a person would be forced to descend all nine winding flights of the initiation well and travel all the way to the bottom. At this point, they would be made to find their way through a maze of underground tunnels.
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Not even the estate’s chapel is safe from arcane references. Although it’s predominately adorned with typical Roman Catholic decorations, it also includes several pentagrams, a common symbol of the Wicca religion.
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The so-called “Fount of Abundance” is another staple of Quinta Da Regaleira. It’s made from marble and is engraved with elaborate designs, including seashells and strange creatures that resemble snakes. To this day, experts haven’t decoded all the symbols on its surface.
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The symbols and hidden messages dispersed throughout the storied castle are so abundant that many people suspect Monteira himself was a part of one, if not all, of these underground associations. Sometimes the correct answer is the most simple one…
Unfortunately, Monteira himself isn’t around anymore to tell his side of the story. We’ll never know for sure whether or not he really was a member of the societies that so clearly intrigued him.
Quinta Da Regaleira certainly has a past shrouded in mystery, but at least it’s not haunted — as far as we know. The same can’t be said for Leap Castle in Ireland, a chilling historical site that still has experts struggling for an explanation.