Initiation Well — Attraction in Sintra

Located beneath the ground, it took us a solid 15 min to find the entrance to a pair of wells spiraling deep down. Very little is known about how the wells were used and what exactly went on there, though it is clear to see that great effort went into their planning and construction as well as its mystery... Although its called a WELL it were never used as such, nor intended for water collection. Instead, these mysterious underground towers were used for secretive ‘Initiations’... The ‘winding stair’ architecture, which carries symbolic meaning including the death/rebirth allegory common to many hermetic traditions- was the main reason. One of the wells contains NINE platforms; believe to be: 1) reminiscent of the Divine Comedy by Dante 2) the nine circles of Hell 3) the nine sections of Purgatory 4) the nine skies which constitute Paradise. It is believed that the spacing of the landings, as well as the number of steps in between were dictated by Masonic (Habonim Hachofshi'im) principles. At the bottom of the well there is a compass over a Knights Templar cross. ממוקם מתחת לאדמה, לקח לנו 15 דקות למצוא את הכניסה לזוג הבארות האלה. מעט מאוד ידוע על אופן השימוש בבארות ועל מה בדיוק התרחש שם (כי התרחש), מה שכן ברור לראות שמאמצים רבים הושקעו בתכנון ובבנייה שלהם ולמסתורין שנבנה סביבן עם השנים ... למרות שזה נקרא WELL (באר) זה מעולם לא שימש ככאלה ואין שום עדות שמיועדים לאיסוף מים. במקום זאת, אנשי המחתרת המסתוריים של הבונים החופשיים השתמשו במקום לביצוע טקסי חניכה. האדריכלות של 'המדרגות המפותלות', נושאת משמעות סמלית הכוללת את האלגוריה למוות / לידה מחדש המשותפת למסורות הרמטיות רבות. אחת הבארות מכילה 9 פלטפורמות; מאמינים שהם: 1) מחווה לקומדיה האלוהית מאת דנטה 2) תשעת מעגלי הגיהנום 3) תשעת הקטעים של המסגרף 4) תשעת השמיים המהווים את גן העדן. ההערכה היא שמספר הצעדים שבין הקשתות הוכתבו על ידי עקרונות הבונים החופשיים. בתחתית הבאר יש מצפן מעל צלב של...

Visited in August 2024

Unique and special place...thought provoking especially given the Masonic / Templar / Christian influence that is present throughout. The history is worth taking a moment to absorb! Was one of the most enjoyable sites we visited in Portugal!

The Initiation Wells are two wells on the Quinta da Regaleira that better resemble underground towers lined with stairs. These wells never served as water sources. Instead, they were purportedly used for ceremonial purposes. The tunnels described above connect these wells to one another, in addition to various caves and other monuments located around the park.

Of the two wells, the larger one contains a 27-metre spiral staircase with 23 small niches on the side. The nine flights of stairs could be linked to the Knights Templar, which had nine founders. They might also symbolize the 9 levels of Hell from Dantes’ Inferno. At the bottom of the well is an inland stone compass with the Templar cross. Other references may be to Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism rituals.

Carvalho Monteiro was possibly an initiate of the Knights Templar, a Catholic military order. This medieval order originated in the early 1100’s and likely disbanded in the 1300’s. However, groups like the Freemasons revived their rituals and traditions hundreds of years later. It is believed that initiations at Quinta da Regaleira began with blindfolded candidates entering one of the wells. They purportedly held a sword close to their heart and descended the 9 flights of stairs. Once they reached the bottom of the well, they walked into a dark labyrinth and needed to find their way up towards the light then to the chapel, where they were welcomed into the brotherhood.

The smaller well contains straight stairs that connect a series of ring-shaped floors to one another. This well is also called the...

One of the more popular tourist hot spots in Sintra, for sure. Most come for the famous initiation well but there are other cool spots worth checking out while you visit this location. This is a part of Quinta Regaleira and you can access the well by purchasing a ticket there.

You can get here by foot, but some people buy the bud package. If you are not very fitness oriented it might be better to go for paid transport as it is a lot of hiking uphill and some streets are very narrow with tons of traffic.

Entrance tickets are 11 bucks on site and be careful where you purchase online as some sites will charge up for processing fee, and more. Tickets can be purchased on site either at the line or the automated ticket station. Line length and duration varies depending on the day, so come early on weekends if you don’t want to wait too long here or at the well.

Even on a low volume day, the line for the initiation well can take between 15 to 30 minutes, but it was the only line I encountered here on a Wednesday.

There are maps and signs everywhere to lead you around.

The place is plagued by construction though, so be prepared for alternative paths as many are closed off.

There are some ramps but would not def would not qualify this place as handicap friendly due to all the steeps stairs and lack of elevators of lifts.

Beautiful sights and spacious site but not necessarily something kids might enjoy as it’s more about the history and the art even though they do try to make it more like a theme park experience with the...