Palácio dos Duques de Aveiro

In Azeitão, people are left wondering what it is.

In the sleepy village center of Azeitão, you’re inevitably drawn to a monolith from another world. Since the tourist development of one of Portugal’s most important power centers has been reduced to a shabby sign, we’d like to share the essentials.

Here’s the story: in the late 16th century, a financially and personally superior opposition to the royal court formed due to succession disputes. This opposition was primarily recruited from the Order of Santiago, led by Jorge de Lancastre, who had a house built in Azeitão that, compared to typical palaces of the time, was rather plain. Some people interpret the austere design as reflective of the pragmatic attitude of the builder — and indeed, Lancastre seems to be someone who viewed the entire expansion policy more economically than religiously and wasn’t too keen on the looming state bankruptcy due to ostentatious court life. Nevertheless, his children expanded the house, including a hospital, and the already existing Dominican riding school, which still exists today: expensive dressage horses, with courses available for those with time and money.

The further history is a treasure trove for 800 episodes of a soap opera. In short, the family established itself among the top three noble families, married smartly, and by a bit of royal luck, often found themselves on the winning side. The end is also gossip-worthy: in 1758, the king fell for a Lancastre heiress and visited her at the family’s Belém residence. On the way home, he was attacked. The Prime Minister framed it as treason, as only the mistress and her relatives could have known about the “meeting.”

As a result, countless people were executed without evidence, though some women and children survived. The mistress herself was sent to a convent, which might indicate her innocence. Consequently, the family did not die out after the ”Távora Affair.” The current bearers of the many name variations are significant figures in Portuguese industry or celebrities who, based on their collection of titles, would today be equivalent to royalty.

The building also survived the supposed intrigue and was converted into a chintz factory: floral-patterned cotton fabric, which you might recognize as part of the South English country house style — curtains, sofa covers, bedspreads. Originating from India, it became a 19th-century symbol of worldliness for people who had never been anywhere. There are no current plans for any specific future use of the property.