The largest 18th-century Baroque palace in Portugal is Mafra Palace.
Also known as the Palace-Convent of Mafra or the National Palace of Mafra, the monumental complex was commissioned by King John V. Construction began in 1717 after the king vowed to build a convent if his wife, Maria Anna of Austria, bore him a child. The birth of their daughter Barbara prompted the project.
Portugal’s wealth from Brazilian gold and diamonds allowed the original friary plan to expand into a vast palace, basilica, convent, library, and hunting estate. Designed principally by João Frederico Ludovice, the complex has a 220-metre façade, roughly 1,200 rooms, and a library containing about 30,000 rare books.
Mafra is often confused with Portugal’s better-known palaces around Sintra, especially Pena Palace and Queluz Palace. Unlike those residences, Mafra is a palace-monastery whose central basilica and religious buildings are integral to the design. Construction began in the Baroque period but continued until 1755, giving the complex both Baroque and Italianized Neoclassical features.