Mosteiro dos Jerónimos

When we went back to the Monastery after the Palace it was still a long line so decided to have our packed lunch on a bench across from it where there is a lovely garden and fountain, just reopened in 2023. We then walked down to see the statue commemorating the Discoveries that Portugal made in the mid 1400s to early 1500s. After this Belem Tower, just a quick pix - still very busy with people and hot....then walked back and waited for the Monastery. It is an impressive sculpted building although empty and fairly devoid of signage/descriptions as to the history and usage of the building. We also saw the attached church which is in good shape, masses are active and it is the final resting place of some notables in Portuguese History.

This monastery was built in the 1500s paid for with the profits made in the spice trade with the East, and was home to the monks of the Order of Saint Jerome (the “Jerónimos” or Hieronymites). These monks were supposed to pray for the king’s soul, and are responsible for the recipe of the famous custard tarts (the “pastéis de Belém” or “pastéis de nata”).

The church (officially called Igreja de Santa Maria de Belém) features tree-trunk-like columns that seem to grow into the ceiling, and holds the tombs of explorer Vasco da Gama and 15th-century poet Luís de Camões. Its vaulting is an extraordinary example of the technology of Gothic architecture in Europe, although the style is really called “Manueline,” a Portuguese Gothic that developed under the reign of King Manuel I. The entire monastery is a remarkable masterpiece of Manueline architecture, with ornamentation mixing naturalistic elements and religious and royal symbols.

If glorifies the Age of Discovery, Portugal’s power at sea, and its contact with distant lands. Coral, sea monsters and ropes are sculpted in the magnificent cloisters, which are unlike any other in the world.

Across the street is a landscaped park known as Praça do Império (literally “Empire Square”), with a large fountain and paved with the traditional Portuguese cobblestone designs, that include the Coats of Arms of all the regions of Portugal.Read more