Conference Location
Our conference will take place at the National Palace of Mafra (Palácio Nacional de Mafra), one of Portugal’s most significant Baroque architectural and cultural landmarks. Located in Mafra, within the Lisbon region, the monumental complex brings together a royal palace, basilica, convent, garden, and historic royal hunting reserve.
Commissioned by King João V in the early eighteenth century, construction began in 1717 and the basilica was consecrated in 1730. With approximately 38,000 m² of built area and a wider royal estate extending over more than 1,200 hectares, it is among the largest monumental complexes in Europe and a defining work of Portuguese Baroque architecture.
The Palace holds exceptional artistic, musical, and bibliographic heritage, including Italian and Portuguese sculpture and painting, historic liturgical vestments, French tapestries, an eighteenth-century infirmary, two historic carillons, and six historical organs in the basilica. Its celebrated library contains around 30,000 books and is described by the institution as the largest library housed in a single room in Europe.
The National Palace of Mafra was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2019. Hosting the conference in this setting situates the event within a site where architectural history, royal and religious patronage, visual culture, music, and documentary heritage converge.
Know more about this amazing building at Museus e Monumentos de Portugal website.