João Frederico Ludovice, a German architect and director of the royal works, designed the palace for King John V, who vowed in 1711 to build a convent if his wife bore him an heir. The first stone was laid on November 17, 1717, and the basilica and convent were inaugurated on October 22, 1730. Work continued until 1755.
The facade is 722 feet (220 m) long, and the towers are 223 feet (68 m) high with a cupola 230 feet (70 m) high. The article gives about 1,200 rooms, more than 4,700 doors and windows, and 156 staircases. The exterior uses local limestone and Lioz stone, and the interior rose and white marble, with Carrara marble statues.
The basilica has six pipe organs, two carillons and 58 marble statues in the side aisles. The Rococo library is 289 feet (88 m) long, and bats are said to protect its books from insects.
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