Sunday, May 17 – Saturday, May 23, 2020
Recognised as a place of beauty and seclusion dating back to the Roman era, the Quinta is set on a lush hillside below the pine and mimosa woodlands of the Sintra National Park.
Surrounding the house is an impressive, well tended 10 acre garden with terraces of fruit trees and flowers, mature trees, a kitchen garden and 2 swimming pools. A restored Renaissance chapel beside the house sits on the site of a Roman temple.
Once a monastic retreat and a former 16th century manor house, the fertile hills of the Quinta were terraced and farmed to provide produce for the monks who would come to convalesce at the Quinta from a monastery further up the mountain. These ancient terraces stretch out in several layers and now form open lawns and French gardens immediately in front of the house with a profusion of hydrangeas, geraniums, roses, lavender and exotic birds of paradise.
A rich variety of trees include lemon, orange, pear, fig and walnut and guests to the Quinta are welcome to eat any of the fresh fruit in season. The pool is sheltered and near an ancient spring, where remnants of Moorish frescoes can still be seen.
History:
The documented history of the property starts with Gaspar de Cisneros, a noble Knight of the House of the Duke of Braganza. In the mid 16th century, Gaspar de Cisneros was living at the Quinta da Matalva (now Quinta Sao Bento) which was part of a ‘dependency’ comprising four quintas, the other three being Sao Thiago, Pombal and Infanta. Gaspar described his property as a ‘noble and sumptuous Quinta’ and following his request to build a capela, was granted permission in 1548 by the church authorities. Due to the rains and the terrible road conditions, Gaspar and his family had great difficulty reaching the parish church of Sao Martinho in Sintra. In 1551 Gaspar gifted the Capela and surrounding land to the Monastery of the Trinity, which maintained the Capela into the 18th Century. The Quinta became used as a place where monks that had fallen ill could come and convalesce before returning to their monastery further up the Serra. The garden terraces cut into the hillside and the available spring water would have provided an ideal opportunity to grow vegetables and fruit. The Portuguese Quinta was as much regarded as a small agricultural estate or farm than as a grand or sophisticated manor building.
The Quinta’s chapel The Capela (Chapel) of Sao Bento is considered to be a very good example of Portuguese Renaissance architecture. As described in the Guide of Portugal of 1924, the interior walls and ceiling were covered in fine frescoes, representing the Annunciation and other religious scenes. Due to lack of maintenance over the years, all that remains today are the frescoes on the ceiling, which include the allegoric figures of the four Cardinal Virtues. The stonework is of particular fine quality and it is thought to be the work of Nicholas de Chanterelle, a highly considered French sculptor, who was employed during that period by the Portuguese King Dom Joao III. It is generally believed that the Capela was built on the foundations of a Knights Templar chapel
dating back to the 12th Century and that prior to this, the site had been occupied by a Roman temple. This is supported by some limited excavations carried out in the 1920s by a house guest of the then owner, the Countess of Carrick. In a letter to her daughter, the Countess records the amateur excavation work undertaken by Colonel Davys of the Indian Army: “We had the floor of the chapel up on Saturday before the Davys left. We had always felt there was
something in the middle of the floor under the central boss of the ceiling. That spot sounded hollow so we asked them to dig and found a very old wall running right across the middle of the chapel…We found a broken pottery bowl and inside a piece of shin bone. Colonel Davys said it was obviously a relic probably placed there when the Templars used the old Roman foundations for their chapel. He thought that the original Roman or pre-Roman temple had been square and the Templars had built their chapel on these foundations.’ Tradition has it that in 1589, Sir Francis Drake, during his attempt to cut out the Spanish Armada gathering in Lisbon harbour, sent up a raiding party to Sintra and besieged the Quintas of Sao Bento and Sao Thiago. This was necessary because the inhabitants of the quintas were considered to be loyal to the Spanish crown and could have been a threat to Drake’s ambitions. It is recorded that the
families took refuge in the Monastery of Pena under the protection of the Jeronimous monks. In 1755 Portugal was devastated by an earthquake. The Marquis of Pombal, the illustrious Prime Minister responsible for rebuilding much of Lisbon, sought to reduce the power of the Catholic church and seized Church lands across the country. It is not known when the State took over the Quintas but by 1867 Admiral Sartorius, a distinguished naval officer bought the properties and gave his daughter, Dona Isabel the opportunity to live in Sao Bento with her husband Major Astley Campbell Smith, the illegitimate son of William IV. In the 1920s the Irish Countess of Carrick purchased the Quinta and lived here until her death in the 1940s.The Countess was buried in the local Sintra cemetery but her memorial stone carved with the Celtic cross, lies directly in front of the Capela, overlooking the valley. Her daughter, Lady Hobson inherited the property and in the 1950s had the Capela consecrated by the Bishop of Gibraltar. In 1981 Peter and Monique Bryers purchased the property and undertook an extensive restoration of both the Quinta and the Capela.
Movement. Authenticity. Connection. Healing. Creativity. Playfulness.
KATE NASH
I was born to move and guide others into their highest potential
I hold space and support extraordinary Human potential for anyone who wishes to move, express, heal and play.My passion is to be so present that the truth is revealed. This is part of my magic. I work with intuition, joy, and over 18 years of experience in the fields of Somatic Movement and Healing.
Kate was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. She relocated to London with her family where she lived for over 25 years.
Kate worked in London Theater with many of the British stars of stage and screen. She worked as an actress and also in costume.
Kate came to the US in 2000 and devoted her time, energy and talent to opening her own movement and healing studio, Cosmotion, located in Ventura Ca.
Kate is extensively trained, licensed and masterful in her teachings and practices of
Nia Technique, Moving to Heal, Conscious / Ecstatic Dance, Laughter Wellness, 5Stages’ – healing practice, Massage and Therapeutic Touch, Somatic Therapies, Private individual Sessions
Kate opened her own movement, fitness and healing studio – Cosmotion – in Ventura Ca in 2004 as she witnessed a great need for holistic, playful and purposeful movement. People are seeking somatic practices which have depth, purpose, joy and community – Kate’s vision and abilities meet those needs.
As our human consciousness develops and expands, it appears we crave and desire more and more to deeply and truly connect to ourselves and each other in ways which are meaningful and rich with all the delicious layers of our humanity.
Christopher Connolly
I am a life and mastery coach. I have been working in this field of dreams for over 20 years. I received a Masters degree in Spiritual and Applied Psychology from University of Santa Monica in 1996, and
am a Certified Soul Centered Life Coach. I served as faculty for the University of Santa Monica Masters program for over five years, and continue to work as Adjunct Faculty.
I have worked with men and woman of all ages, coaches, psychologists, and professionals from all walks of life. This experience became the basis for my approach in guiding and coaching others in attaining what they say they want. The basis in my coaching approach is informed from the viewpoint of the
mountain climber or guide. If one wants to climb to the top of a mountain it is important to find someone who has climbed the mountain. Many people would love to experience a deeply loving, passionate, joy filled relationship. One that is uplifting, true, and unconditionally supportive. They strive to find the right one, that perfect person who can make this dream come true. But few ever attain this kind of relationship. The truth is no one modeled this for most of us growing up, and so we have no reference in how to do it. If we find someone who has climbed this mountain, and mastered the skill set necessary to be in this higher level of relationship, our pathway becomes clear and we greatly increase our ability to attract it. The truth is this relationship begins on the inside and grows to a force which then attracts itself to itself. In this state one is already full and overflowing, and the entire purpose of relationship shifts from being one that is dependent and in need to one that is filled, and radiating love outwards. I also believe that unless one is willing to continue to grow themselves, learn, and strive to their highest potential, they will find it difficult to lead someone to their highest potential. It is an ExampleShip approach. Steven Covey is a great example and demonstration of this approach in relationship to his family. He demonstrated his work in the outside physical world, striving towards excellence and mastery, and brought this home modeling it to his family. He became what he was teaching.
Many clients come to me with a dream. One they have held their entire lives but never been able to achieve. So the basis of my coaching approach (the mountain climber), would ask “ If one is going for a heart felt dream that they have always wanted but never achieved, wouldn’t it be best to find someone who has done this and continues to do it?” The answer to that is yes. But that is only my humble opinion. Many would disagree, and that is okay. Many find tremendous success in other ways, and God bless anyone who helps another on their journey forward. It is really about stacking the odds in ones favor.
As an example, and only to demonstrate this approach; when I wanted to achieve my heartfelt long held dream of composing, recording and orchestrating the most beautiful music held in my heart, I looked for someone who had done that. A coach that understood that path and could help lead me towards it in a way that I could understand and execute. I stacked the odds in my favor and I got what I wanted.
The truth is even though I had studied music at a prestigious institute, I had no idea how to bring this gift forward into reality. I released my first CD in 1996 entitled “Rivers of life, Music of the Angels”. It was a heartfelt dream, one that seemed unattainable to me at the time, but I was led by someone who did know, one who I love to this day. But this was a piano solo album, and I longed to be able to hear the
cellos and violins, and the rest of what I heard on the inside but did not know how to bring forward into reality. A coach helped me do this. A musical genius, who helped me bring forward my gifts and talents and taught me along the way. Thanks to this (mountain climber) and my courage and commitment to go for it and strive to bring my gifts forward, I realized my dream of releasing “Gifts from the Other Side”,
a CD that speaks of the love I feel in every note, and is fully orchestrated, a new skill I learned along the way. I currently spend my time doing the things I love best, working as a life and mastery coach, helping and guiding others towards their heartfelt dreams, and doing 5 Star retreats around the world with my amazing life partner Kate Nash. I believe that as a life coach, one who guides others to reach for their dreams, I must myself walk the hero’s journey, and go for my dreams with all I’ve got. I am
currently working on the release of a new CD to be released in 2020. It is entitled, “Collections of the Heart”.