Quinta do Monte

In the area of Pico, in the parish of Nossa Senhora do Monte, is the estate of the same name, also known as Quinta Cossart, which is one of the most sumptuous residences in Madeira, as briefly mentioned on page 461 of Volume II of this Elucidário.

It became well known and is quite visited since the time when the unfortunate Emperor Carlos of Austria lived there for a few months and ended his life there on April 1, 1922. A beautiful chapel dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus was built in the house of his residence a few years ago by Luiz da Rocha Machado, its current owner, in memory of the ill-fated and beloved emperor. He had arrived in Madeira with his wife, Empress Zita, aboard the English cruiser Cardiff on November 10, 1921, establishing their residence at 'Vila Vitoria,' a dependency of the Reid Hotels. With the arrival of the imperial princes, children of the emperors, in Funchal on February 2, 1922, the entire imperial family established their residence at the Quinta do Monte on the 18th of the same month, and it was there that the unfortunate emperor succumbed, as mentioned, on April 1 of that year. On the 5th, he was buried in a side chapel of the Parish Church of Monte, where his mortal remains still rest, and the death and funeral of the emperor aroused the deepest feelings of sorrow in the entire population of Funchal, taking on the aspect of a true national mourning. Empress Zita left Madeira, accompanied by her children, on May 19, 1922.