Hieronymites Monastery

We found our first Starbucks. :( The entire front street was very touristy, we only saw the sign in the distance. there was another one of those exercise circuits in the park. Off above the Blooming Jacarda trees you can see the Monastery.

It was Sunday so very very busy as this is still an active church and a church service had just been held. We entered in through the south portal which is unusual as this door is normally kept closed. Just as we went in the organ was playing, it was lovely and loud. the acoustics are incredible. You can just imagine what it would have been like in the 1500's when this monastery was built.

It is made of white limestone, stretches for 300 yards , King Manual (1495 ruled from 1495) erected it as a thank you to the early discoveries made by the early portuguese explorers. It was financed via "pepper money" a 5 % tax on spices brought back from India. - i.e. all those great spices that those same portuguese explorers brought back and then traded with other poorer European countries that did not have any established trading ports in the East.

King Manuel built the church near the site of a humble chapel where sailors spent their last night ashore in prayer before embarking on their frightening voyages.

this style of architecture is unique to Portugal and is called Manueline. Amazingly finely detailed carvings, lots of religious symbolism, lots of oceanic themes, shells, ropes, lots of flora and fauna and lots of diversity. It was a pretty amazing church to wander around and see all these different carvings in the columns, walls, niches..

more from Rick steves:
...Monks often accompanied the silor pirates on their trading pillaging trips hoping to convert the heathens to Christianity. Many expeditions were financed by the order of crhist, a brother hood of soldier monks (i think this is the knights templar and their square cross is everywhere). The monks who inhabited this cloister were Hieronymites - followers of St Jerome, hence the monastery name of Jeronimos.

King Manaual did much to promote exploration, but he is also the king who forcibly expelled all the Jews. gthe spanish Reyes Catolicos -Ferdinand and Isabel - agreed to allow Manuel to marry one of their daughters if he expelled the jews. - end of Rick Steves info

The South Portal which we entered, amazing amount of detail in this entrance. There is a picture in the guide with 48 different entries for the different statues, and busts and medallions all within this portal.
Back to rick - the fancy portal facing the street, is textbook Manueline. Henry the navigator stands between the doors with the King's patron saint St Jerome (above on the left with the lion) Henry (Manuels uncle) built the original sailors chapel on this site. this door is only used when mass lets out or for saturday weddings ---this was why we were able to get in today mass had just happened, and look at the crowds around that entrance. lRead more