Traces of Raul Lino throughout Sintra

A visit to the life and work of Raul Lino, whom António Quadros called "the last architect," is sure to surprise and inspire you.

In a tribute to the man, an architect of such sensitivity and greatness, we invite you on a journey that takes in his most iconic works in Sintra, giving him a closer look while enjoying his setting in the Sintra landscape.

He was born in Lisbon. At the age of 11, he went to study in England and then in Germany, where he also attended the studio of the renowned German architect Albrecht Haupt, who was also an art historian with a philosophical background, a scholar of Renaissance architecture in Portugal who would deeply influence him.

He developed a sense of modernity and universality at the same time as a respect and love for tradition and the preservation of Portuguese elements. It was out of this fusion that he developed the unique Casa Portuguesa [Portuguese House] concept, an intimate dialogue between architecture and its location.

More than an architect, Raul Lino was an artist and creator in the fields of graphic design, furniture design and interior design, where he designed everything from door handles to curtains. He was a watercolourist, writer, music lover and even a cultural programmer, in the case of the Tivoli Theatre, which he also designed.

His life was always sustained by a deep love for nature (which he wrote with a capital “N”) and art, which he dreamed of extending to all people, in opposition to facile consumerism.

"Love makes art and Nature alike."

"Nobody can disprove my idea that the salvation of the landscape, trees, nature, monuments, many other things, is at school."

In Sintra, he observed the happiest of encounters between nature and art; his philosophy of landscape found an archetype here.

"Sintra is exceptional in everything; in the climate, landscape, history, monuments... The ambience of those mountains and valleys is very special: the light there is sweet... and the frequent fogs, so slandered and detested, are like folds of white lace brushing across the bosom of the hills, entangling themselves in the noble camellias of decadent gardens."

He submitted a design for the Portuguese Pavilion at the Paris Exhibition in 1900, which, although it was not selected, displays features of the Paço de Sintra, alluding to the chimney and the Baroque window, among various Moorish and Alentejo influences.

In 1903, he was an artistic contributor to the book about Paço de Sintra written by the Count of Sabugosa, with drawings in pen by Queen Amélia.
He devised renovations for the Paço Real de Sintra [Royal Palace of Sintra].
Between 1930 and 1940, he carried out restoration work, and was responsible for the introduction of various revivalist, structural and decorative elements, namely "armillary sphere” tiles, commissioned by the António Arroio School and the Fábrica Viúva Lamego.
In 1948, at the 1st National Architecture Congress, he drafted an opinion regarding the protection zone for the historic centre, around the Palace, in which "all construction would be supervised by the General Directorate of National Monuments and Buildings, taking into account its proportions, its architectural character and its colour, so that it will not create a discordant note in the landscape, the key motif of which is the national monument."
In 1953, in his role as Artistic Superintendent of the National Palaces, he issued an opinion that he delivered to the then-Mayor, Dr César Moreira Baptista, regarding modernisation of the electrical lighting system of Largo Rainha D. Amélia, next to the Palace.
In January 1959, he supervised the Volta do Duche modification and expansion works.
Raul Lino’s work can be seen all over Portugal. For example, here in our own neighbourhood you can visit the Casa Verdades Faria-Museu da Música in Estoril or the Casa Santa Maria in Cascais.

LET'S START THE TOUR

IN SÃO PEDRO
He established his residence here and worked with the São Pedro Improvements Committee. Next to Praça D. Fernando II is the  Fonte de São Pedro.
Located at one of the entrances to Largo da Feira de São Pedro (a fair which takes place on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month).D
esigned by Raul Lino, it was given to the Municipality of Sintra by the Parish Council in 1928 and inaugurated in 1929.
Inside, notice the dome topped by the "keys to heaven", attributes of St. Peter and the radiant sun that surrounds the tap. The circular tank is mounted on a robust column. The bench seats are lined with tiles inspired by seventeenth century models.
Go straight ahead, on the main road, via the Calçada de São Pedro and enter Rua Higino de Sousa, then at the junction with Rua Rodrigo Delfim Pereira we find a stone-clad chalet, the…

LINO’s FAMILY CHALET IN SINTRA
This house belonged to the Lino family and the architect stayed there at different times. Contrary to eclectic and revivalist aesthetics, as well as the imported fashion from the mountain chalets that dominated construction in Sintra in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Raul Lino sought to follow a differentiating path in his own work that would allow him to find the elements that made up the true genesis of the Portuguese house.
After the walls and houses, the landscape captures our attention, suddenly, on a corner, a profusion of colours and themes.
Enjoy this moment, at the

VIGIA GARDEN
A magical gift that unfolds before our eyes, a living picture of the mountains with the Castelo do Gregório, the Castelo dos Mouros, the Palácio da Pena and, at the foot of the mountains, the Church of Santa Maria.
Also known as Miradouro da Condessa do Seisal [Countess of Seisal’s Overlook], a former lady-in-waiting of Queen Dona Amélia who lived in Quinta da Vigia, honoured with the constructed obelisk.
In a 1938, document addressed to the São Pedro Parish Council, Raul Lino mentions details of his project.
Given the nature of the terrain, on a steep slope and surrounded by limestone rock, the beauty of this enclosure depended mainly on the layout of small, jagged paths and the overlook, and not so much on the collection of plants.
An English or French type garden was not recommended for the site, but rather a space resistant to climatic changes, such as long periods of rain or drought, easy to maintain and designed to provide shade and frame the mountain panoramaNext, turn back, turn right and enter Rua do Roseiral.Almost unnoticed, despite some unique details, is the main entrance to the

CASA DO CIPRESTE
Located on Rua do Roseiral, this is Raul Lino's House, designed for living; his refuge.
At the main entrance, at street level, the effect it will have on us is not predictable; we have to turn around, towards the Calçada de São Pedro, and look upwards. The house rises up among lush vegetation, contemplating the palaces.
It was built over a short period (1912 and 1914), taking into account the complexity and details of the terrain. Resting on an old quarry owned by his father, the house had to be fashioned to conform to hardness and irregularity, and it grew over 5 different floors.
A lake in the garden reflects the entire west façade of the house, for a scenic effect.
The centrality of the house is found at the entrance - the main courtyard, which separates the family home from its more sheltered studio.
All the windows serve as frames for the Paço Real, the Castelo dos Mouros and the Palácio da Pena, while the lush vegetation enters the house subtly, insinuating itself into the home’s existence.
There is a constant appeal to the senses through the water in the fountains, the shadows and the textures. At the beginning of his career, Raul Lino used waste materials in his constructions with harmonious effect.
Every detail relates to some aspect of Raul Lino’s personality, who designed some of the furniture and decorative arts, such as the tile designs.
In a stained glass window he painted a Cypress, a symbol he applied to himself, vertical and free, in a metaphor that extended to his house.
In the window he wrote "If you have too much, be generous. If you have nothing to give, then be a azad, or a free man, like the cypress." Sheikh Sadi of Shiraz.
In the dining room, he designed the table, the cabinets with round doors to match the contours of the walls and the candles’ appliqués. This room was intentionally designed without electric light; it has an opening in the ceiling, through which the smoke from the candles escapes.
In his extraordinary home, Raul Lino embraced his love of the arts, organising musical evenings and poetry recitals. Germana Tânger was often present.
Continue towards the historic centre, until the Fonte da Sabuga, and on the same street, Marechal Saldanha, is

CASA DOS PENEDOS
Similar to the Cypress House, at the main entrance of the house the true impact of the building isn’t perceived.
Take the opportunity to enjoy the splendid view from the high wall, along the street, over the National Palace of Sintra, the town, the countryside and the Atlantic coast in the background.Casa dos Penedos should be appreciated from a lower level. From Volta do Duche, it emerges majestically from the heights, crowning the lush vegetation that surrounds it.
Raul Lino has, once again, established a direct relationship with the surrounding landscape, in a profusion of volumetries and gradients, creating a magnificent, scenic setting.
Situated on the Sintra mountainside, facing north, Casa dos Penedos was designed and built in 1922 as a summer residence for the wealthy and aristocratic family of Carvalho Machado Ribeiro Ferreira, who worked in the financial sector. The family had already used Raul Lino to design their houses in Lisbon and Cascais.
According to the family’s commission, it was a residential palace. It was necessary to create outbuildings with various functions intended for employees, service, storage, a residential section for the owners and guests, several state rooms and also a social area to be used as a large ballroom.
The house was divided into 3 floors, with several structures that expand horizontally in an east-west direction and different roofs with two, three and four gables.
Inside there are panels of art deco tiles and many details, such as the materials used, wood, natural stone and marble and a concern with the use of natural light. This residence is truly worthy of aristocracy.
Continue your walk to the Estefânea neighbourhood, beyond the station, following the road to Lisbon, to Largo do Morais; turn right; in one of the small streets, Sacadura Cabral, is

CASA DE FRANCISCO COSTA (1900-1988)
Built in 1927, the house reflects the "spirit of the place."
Raul Lino and Francisco Costa colluded from the outset, and their sensibilities established corners and moments conducive to contemplation and creation.
The porch provided the writer with a refuge to dream, while facing the mountains; it was the birthplace of his novels.
The surrounding, challenging landscape pleased Raul Lino greatly. "A discontinuous terrain, with very varied relief, where the sky is never seen as a full hemisphere, with great variations of light and shade and vegetation that functions as a variety of visual filters."
Also in Estefânea, a magnificent dovecote stands out at Quinta de Santo António on Rua Câmara Pestana.
A significant amount of the works carried out by Raul Lino in Sintra were alterations or additions to properties on the region’s traditional quintas [estates]. Although they may appear to be minor operations, the architect always took great care with his work, since it involved working on iconic properties without diminishing their spirit, and it was necessary to find a bridge between the new and the pre-existing, which was often centuries old.
Among these structures, this dovecote designed in 1920 for Quinta de Santo António stands out.
Let's continue the route towards the coast, to Azenhas do Mar.
After Praia das Maçãs and just off Azenhas do Mar, on the ocean side, you will no doubt have already noticed, there in the background, almost where the land meets the sea, a white house... the

Casa Branca
This was Raul Lino's holiday home, built in 1920. High on the escarpment, facing the ocean, it represents a simple and pure connection with the landscape and the climate.
Raul Lino embraced “his style” here, in the simplicity and purity of the shapes and colours, in the materials and in the rustic interior. Surrounded by light, notice the roof and white walls, with the large masonry blocks exposed.
A few metres away is

Casa das Arribas
Although making use of the same materials and striving for some rusticity, Casa das Arribas, located a few metres from the Casa Branca, has a completely different composition from the one that the architect had envisioned for his "fisherman's hut". It is a larger project, but it has a keen sense of proportion in relation to the overwhelming presence of the escarpments and the undergrowth that surrounds it.
The house remains uniquely beautiful, and today it is used as a housing unit.
Take the opportunity to walk the trails between salt- and foam-flecked vegetation and the blue ocean.