Destination Weddings in Mafra

The modest little town of Mafra, is located about 50km northwest of Lisbon, and is famous for its massive Monastery Palace, the largest complex of its kind in the Iberian Peninsula. This is where King Joao V established the Mafra School, instituted for instruction in the art of sculpture by such renowned artists as José Almeida and Joaquim Machado de Castro. The basilica located in the front and center portion of the Palace Monastery was designed with exquisite precision, and was later used as a model for the building of the Basilica da Estrela.

The Library in town contains the first editions of Camoes' "Lusiads," Gil Vicente's plays, as well as a trilingual Bible of 1514, and the earliest edition of Homer in Greek. The Palácio Nacional da Ajuda was built as a replacement for the royal castle at Terreiro do Paço, which was destroyed in the 1755 earthquake.

The area surrounding Mafra is equally impressive. To the west is the tiny port of Ericeira, which has a distinct village atmosphere, despite its popularity with tourists during the summer months. Ericeira is a fishing town, well known for its great restaurants and fresh fish. South of Ericeira along the coast is the beach village of São Julião, in which there is a small Monastery dating back to the 16th Century. To the west of Mafra is the village of Sobreiro, where a fascinating clay model village and its figures, created by José Franco, is on display. To the north of Mafra is the town of Torres Vedras, with its refurbished 13th Century castle walls.

For such a small town, the grandeur of the monuments in Mafra is remarkable. This combination offers a unique advantage to any wedding celebration that hopes to find a destination lined with novelty and originality.