The mysterious system of underground tunnels in the Quinta da Regaleira palace and park complex, built at the beginning of the last century in the Portuguese municipality of Sintra, seems to serve as mystical transitions from light to darkness. The central structure is the well of initiation, the entrance to which is guarded by the chthonic guards of the penumbra, representing the world of penumbra.
According to legend, in a mysterious well 27 meters deep, reminiscent of an inverted tower, Freemasons performed initiation rites. The initiation ceremony into the Masonic lodge traditionally ended at the bottom of the pit, where an eight-pointed star is depicted. The spiral staircase surrounding the well with an outlandish railings overgrown with moss symbolizes the circles of heaven or hell, depending on the direction of travel. The exit from the mystical well is possible through a stone door leading to an underground tunnel.
This unusual initiation well is located in the Quinta da Regaleira estate in Sintra, Portugal. Made by human hands, the well got its name because the rites of initiation of the Freemasons were held there.
It is a 27-meter spiral staircase going deep into the mountain, which has 10 levels, which are supported by carved stone columns.
These levels symbolize 10 circles of hell, 10 circles of purgatory and 10 circles of paradise, which Dante described. There are 15 steps in each flight.
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The well itself was built on the unity of opposites, that is: heaven is the underworld, ad-rad, this world and the other world.
When a person descends to the bottom of a well, then he goes through a certain rite of knowing his soul.
The lower a person sinks to the bottom, the darker it gets.
But the compass in the well, painted over the cross of the Knights Templar, always points to the east, which means that a person is walking towards the light.
The entrance to the well of initiation is guarded by the guards of the other world.