Statue of Afonso de Albuquerque, Portuguese navigator and conqueror, second Viceroy of India (1508-1515). Scenes of his life overseas are carved around the pedestal.
The Palace of Belém (18th century) is the official residence of the President of the Portuguese Republic
27 comments:
Bom dia JM!
Wonderful place!
Thanks for sharing
Léia
une belle œuvre cette colonne, mais j'aime beaucoup la maison en rose.
Regal photos of a royal Palace! My sister used to live in Albuquerque, New Mexico - any connection?
Imposing monument. Is the residence open for tours? I bet its neat inside.
Impressive monument and grounds. How long has it been the President's residence?
Leif,
The Alburquerque family name dates from pre-12th century Iberia (Spain and Portugal). The city in the USA was named after a spanish Duke who was the Viceroy of 'New Spain' in the 17th century.
Jim,
Yes, there are guided tours of the Palace now and then.
B SQUARED,
I think this palace is the official residence of the President since the end of monarchy in 1910, when Portugal became a republic, but I have to check it and let you know.
The monument looks fascinating with all its details!
Love that angel at the base of the monument. Any chance we can get a closer look at him? The weather looks so gentle there, as if it could never get too hot. Is that just an illusion?
The palace is beautiful. I would expect to see guards or a guard post for the Presidential Palace, but I don't see any. The park area is lovely and peaceful. I had the same question about Albuquerque as Leif, so thank you for that answer.
What a beautiful palace and I really like the color! I wouldn't mind seeing what the view looks like from where the Viceroy is standing.
I like the landscaping of the place. It fits the architecture, and I bet it can be a really good place to hold important ceremonies.
It all looks very grand. Is there a fence around it or can people stroll the grounds?
Great place! I like the monument and beautiful palace!
Brattcat,
You are right about the weather when I took this shots a couple of days ago. Today there is not a cloud in the sky and it's much hotter!
Sharon,
There are several entrances to the palace but none of them is shown on these pics so, no guards, sorry... :-)
Jarart,
The only fence around Albuquerque monument is what you see and I don't think we can call it a fence, so you will be able to have a closer look of the details.
Wonderful angles in both photos as usual and a very interesting story.
Incredible statue...so many famous Portuguese explorers! And that palace is unbelievable! What does anyone do with so much space?
Superb photos, JM!
Fantastic shots,
very beautiful sky ;)
Its a really nice place !!
Imagine that, having a monument built in your honour four centuries later. I wonder what kind of landmarks will be erected centuries from now to celebrate 21st century photo bloggers! :)
Afonso de Albuquerque must have been some navigator! I can't believe how high that statue is.
Huge and pink. Could be in Florida.
Amazing monument.
Sydney - City and Suburbs
Fantastic sky, JM. We've had the same cloud formation for two days here in MN and it does something very positive for the environment. I like the phases of the moon on your sidebar, too.
Um palácio impressionante.
Vice-rei da Índia! Não soente os ingleses tenham! Acabo de leer da historia do Portugal na India no Wikipedia. Interessante. Vou apreendo muito do teu blog.
A handsome palace.
JM, what events from your life would you want carved under a statue of you?
Somehow makes you wish to be the President of Portugal! Marvellous building! :-)
I'd love to wander around in there!! The sky so blue- dotted with those clouds- what an impressive courtyard. He must of made quite an impact too.
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