Ribeira Palace (; Portuguese: Paço da Ribeira) was the main residence of the Kings of Portugal, in Lisbon, for around 250 years. Construction of the palace was ordered under King Manuel I of Portugal, when he found the Royal Palace of Alcáçova unsuitable. The palace suffered innumerous remodels and reconfigurations from its original Manueline complex, ending with its final Mannerist and Barroque form.
The palace, along with most of the city of Lisbon, was destroyed in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. After the earthquake, the reigning monarch, King José I, suffered from claustrophobia and chose to live the rest of his life in a complex of pavilions in the hills of Ajuda, and thus the palace was never rebuilt.
Today, Lisbon's primary square, the Praça do Comércio, is situated on the site of the former palace. The square is still popularly referred to as the Terreiro do Paço, reminiscent of the now destroyed royal residence.
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Famous quotes containing the word palace:
“The youth gets together his materials to build a bridge to the moon, or, perchance, a palace or temple on the earth, and, at length, the middle-aged man concludes to build a woodshed with them.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)