CINTRA, a town of Portugal in the province of Estremadura, 14 miles north-west of Lisbon, with about 4500 inhabitants. It stands at the foot of a rocky mountain of an altitude varying from 1800 to 3000 feet, and is remarkable for the picturesque beauty of its situation and the salubrity of its climate, which render it a favourite resort of the wealthier inhabitants of Lisbon. On one of the adjacent summits stands the Penha Castle, erected by King Ferdinand of Coburg on the site of the former convent of the Hieronymites; and on another are the ruins of a Moorish castle. There is also an ancient royal palace described as a medley of Moorish and Christian architecture, and long famous as the summer residence of the court; and in the neighbourhood is the “Cork Convent” of Santa Cruz, which derives its name from the lining of its cells, and owes its origin to João de Castro, the celebrated viceroy of the Indies, whose heart is still preserved in the chapel of Penha Verde, near the villa in which he resided after his return. The convention by which the French were allowed to leave Portugal without molestation was signed at Cintra, August, 22, 1808.