Quinta da Regaleira · Tunnels at the Bottom of the Well

The most famous feature of the Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra is the “Initiation Well”: a dry well twenty-seven metres deep, spiralling down in stone steps to the bottom, where it joins dark tunnels that lead out to the lake and the grottoes of the garden.

The whole estate is packed with Masonic and alchemical symbols: triangles, crosses, lotuses, tarot. The owner, Monteiro, was a wealthy businessman, and he built his beliefs in stone.

The lamps in the well do not reach the bottom. Guides say: as you walk down, one person goes in front and one behind, and the line must not break.

Occult Chronicles / Sintra · Portugal / 1904