The Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon in Saint Mary of Belém, which is its whole name, is probably the most famous monument in Lisbon. Located in front of the spectacular Praça do Império and close to the photogenic Tower of Belém, inside you have to distinguish two different spaces. And it has to be done because the building dates are different and, therefore, there’s a variation in the project and the style. We start at the beginning so we don’t get lost. After the return of Vasco da Gama from his Indian expedition, opening the way for the trade with the necessary spices (we have to remember that, at a time without electric refrigeration, pepper, cinnammon or cloves prolonged the preservation of food), the King Manuel I, also known as ‘the fortunate’, ordered to build a monastery to be used as a royal mausoleum, as well as a place of royal representation and his new found power.

And so, in 1514, with the benefit from some spices, it began to be built on the land of an old church, a big monastery that belonged to the order of the Jerónimos. The building, although it went through the hands of various architects, is carried out following an established project that followed the new Manueline style, which isn’t anything other than a new way of late Gothic. They use carved stone to lift practically naked walls and they left the decoration for the windows, friezes, columns or the towers. As it was usual at this time (beginning of the Italian Renaissance), the decorative motives were taken from the wide catalogue of symbols handled daily by the intellectuals of the time. The sculpted shells and fish, artichokes and pineapples, griffins and lions, following specific symbols that the contemporary western world has not forgotten.

The traveller that goes inside the building can’t miss out on the magnificent cloister with its balustrades and arches which are profusely decorated. Nor can he/she miss out on checking out the fountain of the patio with the representation of a lion (symbol of Saint Jerónimo and his order and, according to the interpretatitons of C.G. Jung, of the tamed unconscious forces). Another thing that can’t be missed is the old refectory decorated with the typical Portuguese tiles, nor the impressive nave of the church of Saint Mary, which is held by tall and thin columns. THe Jerónimos Monastery is, also, a mausoleum which serves as a tomb for Portuguese kings (Manuel I of Portugal and his wife, John III of Portugal with all his family, the young Sebastian ‘the desired’…) and illustrious Portuguese figures (Vasco da Gama or the poets Camôes and Pessoa).

The other building (nearly forgot about it!) is an annex built in the middle of the 19th century imitating the Manueline style and, therefore, less authentic and interesting than the original. It currently holds the National Archeology Museum, an institution that, for its complexity and importance, deserves a separate outlook.

The Jéronimos Monastery is, in definitive, the perfect symbol for the power that came with overseas trading and contacts. Also, in December 2007, all the heads of state of the European Union sealed by protocol the Treaty of Lisbon in this building.

Candela Vizcaíno

From one of the apartments in Lisbon you’ll be able to get, walking or by tram, to this exclusive area of the Portuguese capital.

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Translated by: aleixgwilliam
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Church of Nossa Senhora dos Mártires

Address:
Rua Serpa Pinto 10a
1200 Lisbon, Portugal
Website: paroquiadosmartires.pt
Tlf.: +351 21 346 24 65

Church of Nossa Senhora da Encarnação

Address:
Largo do Chiado 15
1200 Lisbon, Portugal
Tlf.: +351 21 3424623

São Domingos Church

Address:
Largo de São Domingos
1150 Lisbon, Portugal
Tlf.: +351 210 322 300
Website:isdomingos.com

The Church of St Vincent

Largo de São Vicente (The former monastery is located in The Church of St. Vincent Outside the Walls/Igreja de Sao Vicente de Fora.)
Lisbon, Portugal

Jeronimos Monastery

Address:
Praça do Império 1400-206 Lisbon, Portugal‎

Tel: +351 21 362 00 34

Website: mosteirojeronimos.pt
Tel: +351 21 362 00 34

Lisbon Cathedral

Santa Maria Maior de Lisboa also called the Sé de Lisboa is the oldest church in Lisbon and dates back to the 12th century.

Address:
Rua da Atalaia 196, 1200 Lisbon, Portugal‎