The World Heritage Committee,
- Having examined Documents WHC/19/43.COM/8B and WHC/19/43.COM/INF.8B1,
- Inscribes the Royal Building of Mafra – Palace, Basilica, Convent, Cerco Garden and Hunting Park (Tapada), Portugal, on the World Heritage List on the basis of criterion (iv);
- Takes note of the following provisional Statement of Outstanding Universal Value:
Brief synthesis
The Royal Building of Mafra, today also designated as National Palace of Mafra, consists of a Palace, which integrates a Basilica, with its axial frontispiece uniting the King and the Queen wings, a Convent, the Cerco Garden and a Hunting Park (Tapada). It represents one of the most magnificent works undertaken by King João V, who had exceptional cultural and economic conditions that allowed him to stand out among other European monarchies as a powerful sovereign of a vast multicontinental empire.
From the time when the architect was chosen (Johann Friedrich Ludwig, a Swabian with training in Rome), this project symbolised an international affirmation of the Portuguese ruling dinasty. The ongoing fascination experienced by the monarch for the Rome of the great popes in the Baroque period led him to commission the work of important artists for Mafra, which ultimately became one of the most relevant sites of Italian Baroque outside Italy.
On the occasion of the consecration of the Basilica, on October 22nd 1730, the King’s birthday, the monument was not yet concluded and not all of the works of art had arrived, but the project was well defined and in an advanced stage of implementation: a Royal Palace endowed with two turrets that, functioning independently, were the private apartments of the royal couple; a Basilica decorated with 58 statues by the best Roman and Florentine artists, and an unprecedented set of French and Italian ecclesiastic vestments unparalleled in the country; two towers on the facade containing two carillons ordered from Flanders and that constitute a unique bell heritage worldwide; a Library containing works of great cultural and scientific interest, and one of the few that was allowed to incorporate “banned books”, highlighting a remarkable collection of incunabula and manuscripts, as well as a bibliographic collection with a wide range of publications from the 15th to the 19th centuries. From the mid-eighteenth century the new stone altar pieces of the Basilica were carved, a work of Alessandro Giusti, an Italian artist who founded, in Mafra, a school of sculpture. It was also in Mafra that Joaquim Machado de Castro, the most important Portuguese sculptor of the 18th century, received his training, furthermore, it was on the immense construction site of Mafra that the knowledge and practices were acquired and then applied for the reconstruction of Lisbon after the devastation caused by the 1755 earthquake. Noteworthy are also the six historic organs of the Basilica, unique in the world, because they were designed and built to play simultaneously. At the end of the 18th century the construction of the new set of six organs was ordered to the Portuguese organ masters, António de Machado Cerveira and Peres Fontanes, having been carefully restored since 1994, and thereby receiving the Europa Nostra award.
The Palace continued to play its role as a royal residence through to the end of the monarchy and it was in Mafra that Manuel II, the last King of Portugal, spent his final night before setting off into exile on October 5th 1910. With the extinction of religious orders in 1834, the Convent began to serve as a military facility, reflecting another chapter in the history of this complex. The barracks of Mafra are linked to some of the most important military events of the 19th century, namely during the period of the Peninsular Wars following the French Invasions, when it housed French troops and also Anglo-Portuguese troops. Noteworthy was its participation in the Carnation Revolution (Revolução dos Cravos) that re-established democracy in Portugal in 1974. The military use of the former convent remains to this day.
The Cerco Garden started out as a convent enclosure at the disposal of the friars and also for the purpose of court. As early as in 1718, King João V ordered the planting of all kinds of existing wild trees in the Empire in well distributed beds and wide paths which favoured the organisation of the area in symmetrical plots. The garden includes a large central lake into which converge the watercourses of the Tapada and an adjoining well associated with a noria. This also contains the unusual Ball Game Field, built on the orders of the Regular Canons of Saint Augustine, when they occupied the Convent between 1771 and 1792.
The Hunting Park (Tapada) was created in 1747 as a private hunting ground for the monarch, as well as for agriculture and livestock breeding, in order to serve the needs of the Palace and the Convent. In late 19th century and in the beginning of the following century, the Hunting Park was the privileged stage for the hunting parties of King Carlos I, who went as far as to build a pavilion, within the approximately 1,200 hectares that make up this property. Today, this area is used for forestry, hunting, environment and tourism management. Within its walls are four Forts of the Lines of Torres, one of which has already been restored (Fort of Juncal), which also connect this environment with the European conflicts generally known as the Napoleonic Wars.
Criterion (iv): The Royal Building of Mafra reflects the materialization of absolute power from the time of the King João V, as well as a strategy for consolidation of the Portuguese empire and national sovereignty, affirmation of the dynastic legitimacy, a closer proximity to the international sources of authority, namely of the Papacy of Rome, as well as distancing from the Spanish Crown. The international dimension of the Portuguese empire and the grandeur of its sovereign are at the origin of the gigantism of this construction and the aesthetic options taken. By advocating an avant-garde work, it synthesizes the best examples of Baroque architecture in the city of Rome. Other features in this Monument contribute to making this the country’s main baroque work and one of the most important in Europe, considering not only its size and constructive accuracy, but also some integrated pieces such as the Carillons and the Organs of the Basilica, musical sets of exceptional relevance in the world. The Hunting Park (Tapada) is an example of large-scale landscape creation forming a territorial unit management umbilically connected with the Palace and the Convent.
Integrity
Over time, the Royal Building of Mafra preserved the historical, social and artistic characteristics justifying its Outstanding Universal Value. The works carried out throughout the centuries were always designed to preserve the building, its proportions and volumes, extending its life without changing its physiognomy and functions. The monument survived virtually intact, continuing to represent the ideological values and aesthetic principles of the first half of the 18th century. Noteworthy are the consistency of design, rhythm, symmetry, aesthetic quality and harmony, the dignity of the work, the impeccable quality of the project details and implementation, the constructive competence, the good distribution of resources, the prudent administration of construction and the efficient creation of spaces according to the needs. Threats to the Property are mainly related to the severe thermal amplitudes and the saline winds of the Atlantic coast, as well as the danger of forest fires in the Summer.
Authenticity
During its almost 300 years of existence, the Royal Building of Mafra did not register any significant alterations that compromised its authenticity, namely, as regards its design, form and materials used, only registering small reversible changes. From the point of view of restoration and preservation, we can highlight the restoration of the six Organs of the Basilica, the Throne Room, and the Carillons, (in the programming phase). Despite the political, economic and social transformations that took place between the 18th century and the present day, the Royal Building adjusted itself to several different functions without, however, losing its basic characteristics. Although it ceased to be a state residence as a consequence of the Implantation of the Republic in 1910, it gained a museum status and public fruition; due to the extinction of religious orders in 1834, the Convent began to host military institutions to this day. The Basilica ceased to be a royal chapel, housing the parish's headquarters in 1836; and the Library preserves its mission to support study and research.
Protection and management requirements
The Royal Building of Mafra is classified as a National Monument by a Decree issued on January 10th 1907, published in the Governmental Journal no. 14 of January 17th 1907, Decree of June 16th 1910, published in the Governmental Journal 1st series, no. 136, of June 23th 1910.
In order to ensure the application of the law establishing the foundations for the policies and the system of norms of protection and enhancement of cultural heritage, (Law no. 107, of September 8th 2001), Decree no. 140, of June 15th 2009 established the legal framework for studies, projects, reports, works or interventions on classified properties, especially stipulating the need for prior and systematic evaluation and monitoring of any works susceptible of impacting on their integrity so as to avoid any disfiguration, dilapidation, loss of features or authenticity, which can be ensured by appropriate and thorough planning by duly qualified persons.
Furthermore, there is a policy of responsible management that focuses upon environmental solutions and on maintaining a constructive and open dialogue with partners and, among others, with the council to mitigate potential negative impacts from undue usage of areas surrounding the monument, as duly stipulated by Decree no. 309, of October 23rd 2009, which establishes the restrictions appropriate to protecting and enhancing the areas around such cultural assets.
Management of this building is ensured by the General Directorate for Cultural Heritage, which is the central government department with responsibilities for managing the cultural heritage. It is up to the General Directorate in liaison with the remaining entities installed on the site, to draft a program and implement it so as to guarantee the future of this exceptional monument.
The integrated management of the Property is ensured by the following entities: General Directorate for Cultural Heritage/National Palace of Mafra, City Council of Mafra; School of Arms; Hunting Park (Tapada); Parish of Santo André.
The main purpose of the monument’s management is its protection, preservation and maintenance by ensuring the characteristics that define it as a Property of Outstanding Universal Value.
Located at about 40km from the Capital City Mafra is a rural municipality and the town has grown with full respect for the Royal Building of Mafra and its surroundings. From the restoration and preservation point of view, the work undertaken on the six organs as well as the restoration of the carillons, now under implementation, are among the exemplary actions.
The Outstanding Universal Value of this Property is deeply engaged with its authenticity ensured by the maintenance of the Royal building´s initial architectural concepts and style. This criteria allowed the maintenance of the main functionality of the Basilica, Palace and partially for the convent transformed into a Museum.
- Recommends that the State Party give consideration to the following:
- Developing a landscape study and a cartographic inventory of the heritage features of the Tapada to support a more complete and detailed understanding of the historical evolution of the design of the Tapada, including the distribution of the functional areas, of the hydraulic system and its elements, the selection of plants, as well as alterations to the species and their layout, so as to reinforce and further substantiate the proposed justification for inscription,
- Using the information above to reinforce the management of the cultural dimension of the Tapada,
- Developing a more robust management system that identifies explicit tasks and commitments for each member of the Operational Unit and integrates the various plans and programmes into a jointly-elaborated management instrument, based on a unified vision for the whole of the property,
- Developing jointly a conservation programme with all responsible managing institutions, with clear priorities, and sources of funding for the whole of the property,
- Requesting the School of Arms to undertake a review of the usage of the land it occupies, in coordination with a landscape architect, with the aim of improving the setting of the convent whilst meeting the functional needs following the changes of 2013,
- Encouraging the Municipality to develop a conservation plan for the Cerco Garden, stating the long-term objectives for its management,
- Encouraging the management parties to coordinate through one single strategy the interpretation of the property, including unified works so that the public can appreciate its totality,
- Encouraging all relevant parties involved in elaborating a strategy for, and carrying out, landscape archaeology investigations within the Tapada to shed further light on its historic development as a designed multifunctional landscape;
- Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre by 1 February 2020 a report on the implementation of the above-mentioned recommendations for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 44th session in 2020.