The Palácio National da Pena (Pena National Palace) is an eccentric palace built in the nineteenth century for Dom Fernando II, consort of Queen Maria II of Portugal. The palace is one of several in the town of Sintra, some 40 kms from Lisbon.At the end of the fifteenth century king Manuel I ordered the construction of a Hieronymites monastery at the site of a chapel that stood at the top of a hill in Sintra.After the earthquake of 1755 the monastery had fallen into ruin. In 1838 King consort Fernando II fell in love with the site and decided to acquire the property. He planned to restore the ruins and convert it into a new summer residence for the royal family.