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MAFRA

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Originally appearing in Volume V17, Page 300 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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MAFRA , a See also:

town of See also:Portugal, in the See also:district of See also:Lisbon (formerly in the See also:province of See also:Estremadura); near the See also:Atlantic See also:coast and the right See also:bank of the See also:river Lizandro, and 20 M. N.W. of Lisbon. Pop. (1900), 4769. Mafra is remarkable for its monastery, See also:church, and See also:palace, built by See also:John V. in 1717-1732, in consequence of a See also:vow made during a dangerous illness to build a See also:convent for the poorest friary of the See also:kingdom—which proved to be a small Franciscan See also:settlement here. The architects, Johann See also:Friedrich See also:Ludwig of See also:Regensburg, and his son Johann See also:Peter, took the Escurial for their See also:model; but the See also:imitation is less successful than the See also:original, though the cost exceeded £4,000,000. The See also:building is in the See also:form of a parallelogram measuring upwards of 800 ft. from See also:north to See also:south and 700 ft. from See also:east to See also:west; it is said to contain 866 rooms, and to be lighted by no fewer than 5200 windows. The centre is occupied by the church, sumptuously built of See also:marble, and richly adorned with statues and other See also:objects of See also:art. In each of the twin towers there is a See also:chime of 57 bells. See also:Part of the palace, originally designed as See also:barracks, is used as a military See also:academy. Adjoining the palace are See also:fine gardens and a royal model See also:farm.

End of Article: MAFRA

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