Sutton Hoo Raven

The Raven from the Treasure of Sutton Hoo.

Sintra, Portugal - The Alchemical Castle

Regaleira Interior Alc - Portugal. Alchemy lab on the roof of the Alchemical castle." The land that is now Quinta da Regaleira had many owners over the years. It belonged to the Barons of Regaleira, a family of wealthy merchants from Porto, when it was sold in 1892 to Carvalho Monteiro for 25,000 réis. Monteiro was eager to build a bewildering place where he could collect symbols that reflected his interests and ideologies. With the assistance of the Italian architect Luigi Manini, he recreated the 4-hectare estate. In addition to other new features, he added enigmatic buildings that allegedly held symbols related to alchemy, Masonry, the Knights Templar, and the Rosicrucians. The architecture Manini designed evoked Roman, Gothic, Renaissance, and Manueline astyles. The construction of the current estate commenced in 1904 and much of it was completed by 1910." An Alchemical Christmas tree!