Quinta da Regaleira was purchased at the end of the 19th century by a wealthy Brazilian who upon inheriting a bunch of money, moved to a town in Portugal where only the wealthiest of the wealthy lived. Legend has it that the owner, Carvalho Monteiro was a Mason in Brazil who upon arriving in Portugal wanted to become a part of the Masonic chapter in the exceedingly elite circle in the town of Sintra, Portugal. It is unconfirmed whether or not he succeeded.

Nevertheless, Monteiro built this eccentric, bewildering place where he could collect symbols that reflected his interests and ideologies. With the assistance of the Italian architect Luigi Manini, he added these strange buildings that allegedly held symbols related to alchemy, Masonry, the Knights Templar, and the Rosicrucians. No one really knows what most of these buildings and constructions were used for and if they had any utility at all. Some, including the Alchemy Tower, are still closed off to the public.

These photos are taken of one of the two “Initiation Well” (also called “Inverted Towers”). These “wells” never served as water sources. They were used for ceremonial purposes such as “Tarot Initiation Rites” and are generally accepted as being linked to tarot mysticism.

The “well” is the bigger of the two and contains nine platforms, which are said to be “reminiscent of the Divine Comedy by Dante and the nine circles of Hell, the nine sections of Purgatory, and the nine skies which constitute Paradise.” Also, its winding stairs leading to the top are said to be in reference to the death and rebirth allegory common to many hermetic traditions.