“The reopening of the palace’s library is scheduled for the end of the year,” states the Ministry of Culture’s website, adding that during this period, general admission tickets to the monument will be sold at half price.
“Considering the reduced visiting circuit – with the Basilica and Library temporarily inaccessible – general admission tickets to the palace will be reduced by 50%,” reads the announcement by the MMP.
This closure is “part of a broader effort to provide this icon of Portuguese and world heritage with better security, preservation, and enjoyment conditions for all visitors.”
In February of this year, the municipality of Mafra began redevelopment works on the Basilica, library, and the surrounding exterior of the National Palace of Mafra, an investment of 5.6 million euros, said the president of the municipality, Hugo Luís, at the time.
In August, the municipal council launched a public tender for 2.8 million euros for conservation and restoration works on the basilica and library of the national monument.
The works, with a completion period of 14 months, were awarded for 2.7 million euros.
The projects are financed by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), which has allocated a total of approximately 13 million euros to the monument.
The most important heritage of the National Palace of Mafra includes the largest set of bells in the world, with two carillons and 119 bells, divided into hour, liturgical, and carillon bells, six historical organs, and the library.
The monument will also house the National Museum of Music, which has one of the richest collections of musical instruments in Europe, comprising a collection of a thousand instruments from the 16th to the 20th century, from both scholarly and popular traditions.
The National Palace of Mafra was classified as a World Cultural Heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in July 2019.
