History
The earliest documents describe a built-up town in the 11th century by the Arab geographer Al-Bacr (who was later supported by the poets Luís de Camões and Lord Byron). The Moors built their castle atop a nearby promontory around the 8th-9th century. When Afonso Henriques finally captured Sintra (after the fall of Lisbon) in 1147, he ordered the construction of the Church of São Pedro de Canaferrim, within the castle walls.
In 1493, Christopher Columbus sailing for the Spanish crown, was blown off course by gale force winds and fearing for the survival of his ship, spotted the rock of Sintra. Despite the awkwardness of seeking safe harbor in Portugal, Columbus had no choice under the circumstances and sailed from there into the port of Lisbon.
In 1507, Diogo Boitac built the Hieronymite monastery of Nossa Senhora da Pena in a nearby hilltop. In 1527, King Manuel I commissioned Nicolau Chanterene to build an altarpiece for the chapel; this retable was considered one of his finest works.
In 1808, it was the site of the signing of the controversial Convention of Sintra, which ended the first French invasion of Portugal.
In 1809 Lord Byron wrote to his friend Francis Hodgson, "I must just observe that the village of Cintra in Estremadura is the most beautiful in the world."
Read more about this topic: Sintra
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