Franciscan convent built in direct contact with nature and in accordance with a philosophy of extreme architectural and decorative simplicity. It was established in 1560, by Don Álvaro de Castro, who thus fulfilled the vow of his father, D. João de Castro, Viceroy of India.The Capuchin Convent, small sized and remarkable for the extreme poverty of its construction, is also known as the Convent of Santa Cruz dos Capuchos or "Cork Convent", given the extensive use of cork in the protection and decoration of its small spaces. Its hardiness and austerity are inseparable from the surrounding vegetation, a total integration with nature, to the point of incorporating in building huge granitic rocks.

 

 

The forest surrounding the building was for centuries nurtured and maintained by the religious, having survived the gradual deforestation of the Sintra hills. It is thus a striking example of the primitive forest, whose floristic composition the visitors can identify by making the proposed botanical route. For their rarity, condition and size of many trees, this forest  has a significant natural value which must be preserved. 

 

In 2017, restoration works on the walls revealed, in their filling, ceramic fragments. The regularization of the roads exposed areas constituted by uneven granite sidewalk, and there was a well preserved section, about 40 cm deep. Also discovered were sections of water troughs, in tile, associated with the large irrigation tank of the gardens, which were buried by more recent structures.