The Crown of João VI, also known as the Portuguese Royal Crown ( pt, Coroa de D. João VI; ''Coroa Real de Portugal'') is the most recent and only extant crown of the

Portuguese Crown Jewels The Portuguese Crown Jewels (''Jóias da Coroa Portuguesa''), also known as the Royal Treasure (''Tesouro Real''), are the pieces of jewelry, regalia, and vestments that were used by the Kings and Queens of Portugal during the time of the Portugu ...

Description

The crown is fashioned out of gold, silver, iron, and red velvet. Its eight half arches are surmounted by a

monde A ''monde'', meaning 'world' in French, is an orb located near the top of a crown. It represents, as the name suggests, the world that the monarch rules. It is the point at which a crown's half arches meet. It is usually topped off either w ...

: a

globus cruciger The ''globus cruciger'' ( for, , Latin, cross-bearing orb), also known as "the orb and cross", is an orb surmounted by a cross. It has been a Christian symbol of authority since the Middle Ages, used on coins, in iconography, and with a sceptr ...

on a crown, with a cross at its top—as Portugal was a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

nation. The base of the crown is elaborately decorated with baroque patterns and designs.

History

The Crown of João VI was made in 1817 for the acclamation of King

João VI , house = Braganza , father = Peter III of Portugal , mother = Maria I of Portugal , birth_date = , birth_place = Queluz Palace, Queluz, Portugal , death_date = , death_place = Bemposta Palace, Lisbon, Portugal ...

. The crown was fashioned in the workshop of D. Antonio Gomes da Silva, the Royal Jeweler. The crown was made as part of the set of crown jewels, which included the Sceptre of the Armillary and the Mantle of João VI, which was specifically made for João VI's acclamation. It then became the official crown of the

monarchs of Portugal This is a list of Portuguese monarchs who ruled from the establishment of the Kingdom of Portugal, in 1139, to the deposition of the Portuguese monarchy and creation of the Portuguese Republic with the 5 October 1910 revolution. Through the n ...

and was used by all the Portuguese monarchs after João VI. Though serving as the monarchy's official symbol, the crown was never actually worn by any Portuguese monarch. In 1646, King

John IV of Portugal John IV ( pt, João, ; 19 March 1604 – 6 November 1656), nicknamed John the Restorer ( pt, João, o Restaurador), was the King of Portugal whose reign, lasting from 1640 until his death, began the Portuguese restoration of independence from H ...

had consecrated the Crown of Portugal to the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

; following this, no Portuguese sovereign ever wore a diadem, though it was usually present at the ceremony where his ascension was proclaimed.
The crown saw its last official use during the reign of

Manuel II of Portugal '' Dom'' Manuel II (15 November 1889 – 2 July 1932), "the Patriot" ( pt, "o Patriota") or "the Unfortunate" (), was the last King of Portugal, ascending the throne after the assassination of his father, King Carlos I, and his elder brother, ...

, when it was used for his acclamation and at the official opening of the

Cortes Cortes, Cortés, Cortês, Corts, or Cortès may refer to: People * Cortes (surname), including a list of people with the name ** Hernán Cortés (1485–1547), a Spanish conquistador Places * Cortes, Navarre, a village in the South border of ...

, the Portuguese parliament. The Crown of João VI, along with all the other Portuguese Crown Jewels, are kept in the

Ajuda National Palace The Palace of Ajuda ( pt, Palácio da Ajuda, ) is a neoclassical monument in the civil parish of Ajuda in the city of Lisbon, central Portugal. Built on the site of a temporary wooden building constructed to house the Royal family after the 175 ...

, in

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...

References

External links

Jóias da Coroa Portuguesa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crown of Joao VI Portuguese Crown Jewels Portuguese monarchy Joao

Description

History

See also

References

External links