page_title: Convent of the Capuchos (Sintra)
section_title: Architecture
hierarchical_section_title: Convent of the Capuchos (Sintra) / Architecture
caption_attribution_description: English: Convento dos capuchos (Sintra) - Frei Honório's Cave Português: Convento dos capuchos (Sintra) - Cova de Frei Honório.jpg
context_page_description: The Convent of the Friars Minor Capuchin, popularly known as the Convent of the Capuchos, but officially the Convento de Santa Cruz da Serra da Sintra, is a historical convent consisting of small quarters and public spaces located in the civil parish of São Pedro de Penaferrim, in the municipality of Sintra. Its creation was associated with the Portuguese Viceroy of India, D. João de Castro, and his family, but became a pious community of reclusive clergy that continued to occupy cramp humble spaces in the complex, until the religious orders were abolished in Portugal.
context_section_description: The minimalist convent was erected in perfect harmony with its surroundings, implanted in the rocks and boulders that formed this part of the Sintra Mountains. Due to the slopes, many of the dependencies are constructed on the slopes, each level used to identify the ascendency and purification of the spirit. The hall of retreat, which is further elevated then other spaces, is reached from a passage from thehall of penitence. The church is integrated into the complex, with little indications from the exterior. Researchers have suggest that the composition of buildings and spaces were influenced by the number 8 (evident in the number of cells and stairs between rooms), and which symbolized infinity. A comparable metaphor exists in the different roads/paths, which symbolized the dichotomy between good and bad roads to be taken in spiritual fulfillment. Poverty was the central notion which ruled the construction of the Convent of the Capuchos. The whole building is small. Its windows and doors are coated with cork, the traditional material of Portugal, the last being smaller than a man's height, to induce genuflection. Decoration is scarce and minimal. After visiting the convent in 1581, Philip I of Portugal said "Of all my kingdoms, there are two places I estimate especially, El Escorial for being so rich, and the Convent of the Holy Cross for being so poor".
  The site is located in the rural part of Sintra, along the northeastern flank of the Sintra Mountains, approximately 325 metres above sea level, in a location marked by dense vegetation and accentuated slopes, near King Ferdinand II's hunting grounds (Tapada D. Fernando II). The convent, surrounded by a forest of oak and shrubbing species of trees, is walled into an area of rocks and exposed boulders. Along Sintra's old road connecting the village to Colares, and near the Palace of Monserrate, there is a road that heads towards this religious retreat, indicated by a 17th-century marker: "CAMINHO PARA O CONVENTO DE SANTA CRUZ DA SERRA, VULGO CAPUCHOS"; "1650". The access to the grounds is made by a portal (in the southeast corner of the site), or by the Terreiro das Cruzes (Terrace of Crosses), an irregularly-walled enclosure with a calvary located in the southwest corner and visitor's centre. To the left of the cross in the Terrace of Crosses, is the principal entrance or Pórtico das Fragas (Portico of the Rocks), with an access-way comprising two large boulders, one of which is surmounted by a bell-gable. From the walled enclosure, a small flight of stairs leads into the Terreiro do Campanário (Terrace of the Belfry), a small irregular patio with cross, which leads to the buildings. The southeast entrance, located a further distance from the visitors centre, comprises a gate and ancillary building, which leads directly to the much larger Terreiro do Fonte (Terrace of the Fountain) with the religious site. So named because of the large octagonal water fountain, the Terrace is a principal square within the retreat, with bunk seating in rock around its edges. Legend suggests that King Sebastian would eat his meals around this fountain when he visited the convent. The fountain, itself, shows vestiges of 17th century azulejo tile.
  The plan of the site is irregular, composed of various spaces at different slope heights, incorporated into the local rock and cliffs. The church, integrated into the complex, has a longitudinal plan, with a nave and presbytery into the rock. Its simple facades, with no decoration, are uncommonly utilitarian, with a lack of ostentation typical of the period of its construction. The principal entrance, across the southeastern portal to the elevated Terreiro da Fonte, is made from two steps. The stone patio has vestiges of two tombs, while the roof is covered in cork. In the centre wall, the cut backrests are decorated with pebbles and ceramic fragments, with a conch-like arched niche, decorated with ceramic fragments. On the wall fascia, accessed by stairs on two sides converging onto a level platform, there are two door frames covered with cork, 
caption: The trail leading to the grotto of friar Honório de Santa Maria
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