My brothers would love this place

My older brother loves art in which the subject has a quirky or adorable expression. My brother in law loves to take pictures of things the rest of us don’t notice.

As i explored the Jeronimo Monastery today, i thought of them often. There were snails vomiting royal crests and lizards hiding coyly behind columns. Everything was full of iconography. I found myself wondering what hidden and inside jokes had made it into the stone work. It took over 500 years to complete.

The center courtyard, which was off limits to walk in, made me imagine monks resting there, writing poetry and painting.

Most of the monastery has been recently restored but there were places that were original. The tile murals in the pictures were created and mounted in the 1700s.

In one of the tomb rooms, the sculptures of various religious figures were so detailed and eerie - i spent quite a while looking at them trying to determine if they are old or new. I still don’t know but the gray coloring suggests that they are old.

I learned about Saint Jeronimo, an academic scholar who devoted himself to religion. His order of monks had the spiritual mission to give guidance and hear confessions of the sailors coming and going from Belem. They also prayed for the kings’ soul and that of his successors. I am not catholic and i do not have a patron saint. But if i did, jeronimo would be a good choice. Especially since the lion is his symbolic protector. If i had to have someone protecting me, id like them to be lion-like.Read more