The Chapel of Our Lady of El Carmen, known simply as El Carmen, is located on the western side of the Arrábida mountain range.
According to Friar Agostinho de Santa Maria, this sanctuary was built by D. Madalena Giron, 2nd Duchess of Aveiro, in 1560. The palace has 3,200 square metres of private gross floor area set in a 50-hectare estate, with the Chapel of Santa Maria do Carmo standing out, a place of annual pilgrimage, according to this cleric's publication.
The Palacio Del Carmen is a historic building and was built in 1534. For several years, it hosted private events, especially weddings and baptisms. It has two noble halls with capacity for around 200 people and a smaller room.
The palace has a gross private area of 3,200 m2 and a patio of 16,750 m2.
It has two floors:
Floor 0:
3 lounges
6 bedrooms
Kitchen
Guest bathroom
Storage areas
Atrium
Chapel
1st floor
3 large suites
Lounge/Gallery
Storage areas
There is also a house attached to the palace with bedrooms and bathrooms.
This property has huge potential for recovery for those who want to live in, or invest in, a unique and historic property.
Location information:
Situated by the sea, between Setúbal and the fishing village of Sesimbra, the Arrábida Natural Park has an incomparable beauty, in which the blue of the sea alternates with the whitish tones of the limestone cliffs and the green of the dense vegetation covering the mountains.
The richness of the vegetation is one of the Park's greatest attractions. Here you'll find one of the rare examples of Mediterranean maquis in Portugal and its preservation was one of the reasons why Arrábida was considered a true international scientific relic. In order to keep it intact, access to some areas is only possible with a guide provided by the park's headquarters. There are also several accredited companies that organise extreme activities such as caving, diving and climbing.
If you want to learn more about the fauna and flora, visit the Oceanographic Museum, housed in the Fort of Nossa Senhora da Arrábida, next to Praia do Portinho. Almost opposite, you can see Pedra da Anixa, a small islet that is a zoological reserve due to its underwater vegetation.
In addition to the Serra da Arrábida, the Park includes other elevations such as the Serra do Risco, where the highest coastal cliff in mainland Portugal is located. It's a magnificent cliff 380 metres high, which plunges into the sea from where you can enjoy an unforgettable panorama of the Atlantic.
The meeting of the mountains and the sea has given rise to a string of beaches with fine sand and transparent waters that we would think we would only find in the Mediterranean, such as Figueirinha, Galapos and Portinho da Arrábida.
Favoured by the Franciscan friars who, between the 16th and 19th centuries, lived in the convent that still exists and meditated in the isolated chapels scattered throughout the mountains, Arrábida is exceptionally beautiful.