Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, Belém, Lisbon 
The Jeronimos Monastery, a World Heritage Site in Lisbon. Click for larger images and credits, and see the Jeronimos Monastery Photo Gallery for many more views.
More than any other ecclesiastical building in Portugal, the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Monastery of the Hieronymites, or the Order of Jerome) complex represents the wealth that poured into Lisbon from the colonies during the Age of Discovery. It was designated a World Heritage Site in 1983.
Begun in 1502 in Belém, the seaport near the gates of Lisbon, the monastery was built to commemorate Vasco da Gama's voyage to India and to give thanks or its success. It contains the world's most distinctive Manueline church. Richly ornate and unlike any other building in Europe, it has, among other features, columns carved in patterns inspired by the rigging of Portuguese ships laden with riches from Brazil and India.
History
In an expansive mood, Manuel I the Fortunate ordered this large monastery built to commemorate Vasco da Gama's voyage to India and to give thanks to the Virgin Mary for its success. He decided to built it near a small chapel that Henry the Navigator had dedicated to St Mary of Belém on the banks of the Tagus river, close to Lisbon.
In 1496 the King founded the Monastery of Santa Maria de Belém, which was partially financed by the spice trade that grew following the discovery of the route to India. The former chapel of Henry the Navigator became the Gothic and Renaissance Igreja de Santa Maria (Church of St. Mary) [photo], which is marked by a statue of the prince.
The monastery was given to the Order of St. Jerome (dos Jerónimos). The king was impressed by the contemplative spirituality of the order, their development of religious life and their status in Spain. They practised "good and exemplary customs," which fitted well with the king's religious views, and their political objectives for the Iberian Peninsula were in agreement with his own. The Order was powerful and the intellectual output of its monks was prodigious.
The king would be buried in the monastery, and it would come to serve as a royal pantheon for the Avis-Beja dynasty that he founded. The monks were expected to celebrate a daily mass for the souls of Prince Henry the Navigator, King Manuel I and his successors in perpetuity. In addition, the monks of Jeronimos heard confessions and gave spiritual confort to seamen and navigators who left the Belém beach in search of new discoveries.
The Monastery is inevitably linked to the Age of Discovery because of its geographical location at the entrance to the port of Lisbon, and its close historical involvement with the exciting events of this era. In addition to the royal tombs, many of the greatest figures in Portuguese history are buried at the monastery; the most famous is Vasco da Gama [photo].
The Portuguese also maintain that Luís Vaz de Camões, author of the epic Os Lusíadas (The Lusiads), in which he glorified the triumphs of his compatriots, is buried here [photo]. Both tombs rest on the backs of lions, and are just inside the entrance to the church. Camões's epic poetry is said to have inspired a young Portuguese king, Sebastião, to dreams of glory. The king — devoutly, even fanatically, religious — was killed at Alcácer-Kibir, Morocco, in a 1578 crusade against the Muslims. Those refusing to believe that the king was dead formed a cult known as Sebastianism; it rose to minor influence, and four men tried to assert their claim to the Portuguese throne. Each maintained steadfastly, even to death, that he was King Sebastião. Sebastião's remains were reputedly entombed in a 16th-century marble shrine built in the Mannerist style.
A 1755 earthquake damaged but didn't destroy the monastery, and it has since undergone extensive restoration. With the arrival of a liberal government under a constitutional monarchy in 1833, religious orders were dissolved. As in the Dissolution of the Monasteries in England, the monastic communities were dispersed and the monasteries became state property. The building was turned into a school until 1940.
In 1983, UNESCO designated the Jerónimos Monastery a World Heritage Site (along with the nearby Tower of Belém) because it "exemplifies Portuguese art at its best" and "is a reminder of the great maritime discoveries that laid the foundations of the modern world."
What to See
Manueline, the style of architecture that bears the founder-king's name, combines flamboyant Gothic and Moorish influences with elements of the nascent Renaissance. The Mosteiro dos Jerónimos is considered by many to be the best example of Manueline architecture in the world.
The Igreja de Santa Maria (Church of St. Mary) is known for its deeply carved stonework depicting such scenes as the life of St. Jerome. The church's interior is rich in beautiful stonework, particularly evocative in its network vaulting over the nave and aisles, which are noted for their fragile-looking pillars.
The west door of the church leads to the Cloisters, which represent the apex of Manueline art [photo]. The stone sculpture here is fantastically intricate, featuring the maritime themes that are common to this architectural style and a wide variety of other imagery. Don't miss the grasshopper gargoyle overlooking the courtyard! [photo] The two-story cloisters have groined vaulting on their ground level. The recessed upper floor is not as exuberant but is more delicate and lacelike in character.
Some of the ceilings, like those in the monks' refectory, have a ribbed barrel vault. The "palm tree" in the sacristy is also exceptional. Throughout, the Jerónimos monastery and church depict scenes from the life of St. Jerome, the nativity of Christ (Belém is named for Bethlehem), and other themes.
The nearby Tower of Belém, part of the World Heritage Site, was built to commemorate Vasco da Gama's expedition and remains a reminder of the great maritime discoveries that laid the foundations of the modern world. There is a good view of the monastery from the top of the tower.
Quick Facts
| Location: | Praça do Império, Belem, Lisbon, Portugal |
| Contact: | 21/362-00-34 |
| Transport: | Tram: 15. Bus: 27, 28, 29, 43, or 49 |
| Hours: | May-Sept Tues-Sun 10am-6pm; Oct-Apr Tues-Sun 10am-5pm |
| Cost: | Church free; cloisters 3€ adults, free for seniors (65+) and children (12-) |
Sources
- Frommer's Portugal, 19th Edition
- The Virtual Jeronimos Monastery - 360° panoramas, photos and virtual tours
- Jeronimos Monastery Photo Gallery - here on Sacred Destinations
- Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon - UNESCO World Heritage List
- Traveler Reviews of the Monastery of St. Jerome - TripAdvisor
