Rococo architecture in Portugal

Rococo architecture entered Portugal through the north, while Lisbon, due to the court pomp, remained in the Baroque.

It is an architecture that follows the international taste in decoration, and, as a result of the contrast between dark granite and white walls, has a clearly Portuguese profile.

In the south, as a result of the lower population density, the court taste and also of the consequence of the earthquake there are fewer rococo buildings.

Designed by Mateus Vicente de Oliveira, it became the residence of the royal family under the reign of Queen Maria I.

The chapel, as a result of the junction of carved wood, marble and coloured stones, reflects a classical taste unusual in the Portuguese Rococo.