History

City Of Lisbon

Quinta do Scoto is located in Meleças, in the County of Sintra, 12 miles from Lisbon. Its origin dates back to 1746, acccording to the inscription on the base of the Cross outside of the old chapel. Re-enforcing this, we can find inside a tile evocative of Our Lady of Mercy and of St. Marçal, dating back to 1757, placed there in gratitude for surviving the violent earthquake that hit Portugal two years before.

18th Century Tiles

The ground floor windows host solid stone benches, and outside metal bars (both very characteristic of the time). Several rooms are decorated with over 4500 rare handcrafted tiles, dating from the 1st half of the 18th century.

According to historian Rocha Martins, author of several renowned works, who also lived in a cottage at the far end of the Quinta during the 1940s, Quinta do Scoto was the property of the Chaplain of the Marquis de Pombal (Portugal's mosts famous architect, responsible for rebuilding the riverside “baixa” in Lisbon after the big 1755 earthquake).

Marquis de Pombal

It is said that the Marquis de Pombal slept his last night at the Quinta before his banishment (1777) after the change in the Portuguese monarchy.

The Count of Redondo, Dom Fernando Luís de Sousa Coutinho and the Count of Estremoz among others, were also owners of Quinta do Scoto, as registered in the still existing original documentation.

In the Quinta do Scoto's historic timeline, from its origin until the end of the portuguese monarchy in 1910, the following Kings and Queens of Portugal have spanned throughout the existence of the Quinta: D. José I, D. Maria I, D. Pedro III, D. João VI, D. Pedro IV, D. Miguel I, D. Maria II, D. Pedro V, D. Luís I, D. Carlos I and D. Manuel II.