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Since the formation of the Republic in 1910, Belém Palace has served as the official residence of the President of the Republic. With a five-century history, it was designated as a building of public importance in 1967 and was designated a national monument in 2007.
D. Manuel of Portugal, a figure of the Portuguese Renaissance, erected the central core of the structure on land leased from Order of St. Jerome monks in the middle of the 16th century.
D. João V purchased the property as a summer estate in 1726, and it remained in the royal family’s hands until 1908. Following the regicide, D. Manuel II donated Belém Palace to the state, which placed it under the supervision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who used it to entertain official foreign dignitaries visiting Portugal until the creation of the Republic.
MONARCHY
The Quinta de Belém, which was used as a summer residence and occasionally as a main residence, survived the 1755 earthquake undamaged, safeguarding D. José and the royal family who were living there. Up to 500 exotic birds were documented in its aviaries, while lions, tigers, leopards, panthers, bears, and wolves were held in its cages, some with young cubs. An elephant, horses, and thirteen zebras were documented at the stables in 1776.
In 1889, the last king of Portugal was born in the room now used by the President of the Republic to greet visitors.
The First Republic
During the First Republic, practically all presidents decided to live in Belém Palace, which now houses the offices of the Civil and Military Houses, in exchange for a monthly rent that was abolished in 1928.
THE NEW STATE AND THE MILITARY DICTATORSHIP
Belém Palace was used for state ceremonies, parties, and official meetings throughout the reigns of Óscar Carmona and Américo Tomás. Between 1952 and 1958, only Francisco Craveiro Lopes lived here. The Arrábida wing was renovated so that it could be utilised as the head of state’s private house. It is the palace’s oldest wing and was called after the Arrábida monks who were placed there by D. Manuel of Portugal.
DEMOCRACY
António Ramalho Eanes is the last president to have lived in Belém Palace. The presence of the head of state is now signalled by the flying of the presidential pavilho (flag), which is hoisted on the building’s main façade.
The National Palace of Belém is exclusively accessible by appointment through the Museum of the Republic’s Presidency.
