Peninha Sanctuary is a special spot located in Sintra. It has been a place for personal, cultural and scientific development of children and young people. The degradation of the water supply system, as well as the deficient isolation (doors, windows and roofs) hinders the use of the supporting infrastructure, and hence, these activities.
Peninha Sanctuary is a special spot located in Sintra. It has been a place for personal, cultural and scientific development of children and young people. The degradation of the water supply system, as well as the deficient isolation (doors, windows and roofs) hinders the use of the supporting infrastructure, and hence, these activities. If we work together, all of these assets may again be of service to all.
Natural and cultural heritage: Since the beginning of human occupation of the Iberian Peninsula, the mountains of Sintra have been a privileged place for various people and cultures. It is there, between the Atlantic, Cabo da Roca and the hills, that stands the Peninha Sanctuary, occupying a special place all through the history of Portugal, with its geographical location and a unique natural heritage.
History: The first chapel , called S. Saturnino (at the foot of the cliffs where Peninha stands), is built by Pero Paes , lieutenant and chief standard bearer of D. Afonso Henriques (sec. XII).
During the reign of King D. João III, a second chapel is built 460 meters higher - where an old legend recounts the appearance of Our Lady to a young pastor girl - which gives rise to the Peninha Sanctuary .
In the seventeenth century , Pedro Conceição, with the support of the king and the alms of the faithful, builds the church building that exists today as well as houses to support pilgrims. Later the Sanctuary will be acquired by António Monteiro (also creator and owner of Quinta da Regaleira) and endowed with new infrastructure, then moving to the tutelage of the University of Coimbra .
After many years of neglect and oblivion, the sanctuary is now the responsibility of ICNF - Institute for Nature Conservation and Forestry - that in the early 90s, endowed Peninha with some support infrastructure, including bathrooms and access to drinking water .
Education services: In recent years, besides the large number of visitors (due to its geographic location, overlooking the Tagus estuary and coast to Cabo da Roca and its natural, cultural and architectural heritage), Peninha has played an important role in ICNF mission of educating for the conservation of natural and cultural heritage.
In this context, there are many activities with schools, youth groups, scouts and adult groups that contribute simultaneously to:
a) The conservation of flora and fauna unique ecosystem of Sintra;
b) The occupation of the building and maintenance of the Sanctuary itself;
c) The personal, social, scientific and environmental training of participants;
d) combating acts of vandalism.
Problems: The difficulty in accessing water from the well and deficient insulation (windows, doors and broken roof tiles caused by vandalism and storms) prevent the completion of the activities described above.
Project Objective: To enable the continuity of educational activities (development and personal, social and environmental training) with children and young people through the use of specific interventions to allow the use of support spaces.
Interventions to be implemented: Fix doors and windows, replacement of pump and water system, replacement of broken roof tiles.
Required value: 3.500,00 Euros, which adds to specialized pro bono contributions (volunteers from different professions), amounting to about 5,000.00 Euros.
