The staircase we see here is the original service staircase of the Palace designed by Ludovice. The grand staircase, on the other hand, opened from the atrium in two flights, similar to that of Mafra and other noble palaces designed by the architect. However, in the 19th century, the palace was permanently converted into a tenement, and later adapted as the Casa do Vinho do Porto, destroying everything that remained of the main staircase of such a highly praised palace.

  Legend has it that some of the materials we see today were “leftovers” from those used in Mafra… This story also applies to the summer house that the architect had built outside the city, Quinta da Alfarrobeira, now the headquarters of the Parish Council of São Domingos de Benfica. In both legends, the same anecdote with the king… Ludovice asked King D. João V to use the leftover materials, to which the Magnanimous replied: “As long as you do not build a hut!”

  In this staircase, note the original marble handrail.

  The tile covering was added in the 19th century, though some of the tiles may have come from broken pieces of the original building.

  During the restoration of the building for the hotel, maximum care was taken to protect and restore as many original materials as possible so that our guests today can enjoy a unique experience.

  The Convent of Mafra was Ludovice’s greatest work, inspiring a novel by Nobel Prize-winning author José Saramago in Memorial do Convento, which vividly transports readers to the time of its construction through extraordinary characters. We invite you to learn more about this Palace-Convent! Visit the UNESCO link: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1573/gallery/ to see the similarities between this palace and the one currently housing our hotel.