Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa

Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa (Paço Ducal de Vila Viçosa)
Palace of the Dukes of Braganza
Palace (Palácio)
The Palace of the Dukes of Braganza, in Vila Viçosa. detail of the main facade
Official name: Palácio dos Duques de Bragança
Named for: Dukes of Braganza
Country	Portugal
Region	Alentejo
Subregion	Alentejo Central
District	Évora
Municipality	Vila Viçosa Municipality
Location	Nossa Senhora da Conceição
- elevation	400 m (1,312 ft)
- coordinates	38°46′56.80″N 7°25′18.97″W / 38.7824444°N 7.4219361°W / 38.7824444; -7.4219361Coordinates: 38°46′56.80″N 7°25′18.97″W / 38.7824444°N 7.4219361°W / 38.7824444; -7.4219361
Length	124.5 m (408 ft), Northwest-Southeast
Width	70.5 m (231 ft), Southwest-Northeast
Architects	Pero de Trilho, Afonso de Pallos, Martim Lourenço, Diogo de Arruda, Baltazar Álvares, Nicolau de Frias, Silvestre Faria Lobo, Pêro Vaz Pereira
Styles	Renaissance, Manueline, Moorish, Mannerist, Baroque, Neoclassic
Materials	Masonry, Stonework, Marble, Granite
Origin	c. 1496
- Initiated	1501
Owner	Portuguese Republic
For public	Public
Easiest access	Terreiro do Paço
Management	Instituto Gestão do Patrimonio Arquitectónico e Arqueológico
Operator	Fundação da Casa de Bragança
October to March	Tuesday: 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Wednesday to Friday: 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.; Weekends: 9:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m., 2:00–5:00 p.m.
April to September	Tuesday: 2:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Wednesday to Friday: 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m.–5:30 p.m.; Weekends: 9:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m., 2:00–5:30 p.m.
July to August	Tuesday: 2:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Wednesday to Friday: 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m.–6:00 p.m.; Weekends: 9:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m., 2:30–6:00 p.m.
Status	National Monument
Listing	Decree 251/70; DG129, 3 June 1970
Website: http://www.fcbraganca.pt/

The Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa (Portuguese: Paço Ducal de Vila Viçosa) is a palace located in the civil parish of Nossa Senhora da Conceição, in the municipality of Vila Viçosa, in the Portuguese Alentejo. It was, for centuries, the seat of House of Braganza, one of the most important noble houses in Portugal: it became the ruling house of the Kingdom of Portugal after 1640, until King Manuel II, titular head of the family, was deposed in the 5 October 1910 Revolution that brought a Republican government.

Vila Viçosa became an ancestral feudo of the Dukes of Braganza when Fernando I of Braganza succeeded his father Afonso I, receiving the title of Count of Arraiolos from his grandfather, Nuno Alvares Pereira. With this, Fernando established his seat in the primitive Vila Viçosa Castle. However, his son, Fernando II was executed in 1483 by order of King John II on accusations of treason, and the family was exiled to the Kingdom of Castile. Returning in 1496 (after the death of King), the family regained its ancestral lands, although Duke James (Fernando's successor), declined to live in the Castle of Vila Viçosa, owing to its association with his father's betrayal and murder.