Lisbon - Jerónimos Monastery
Posted by: 
manchanegra
N 38° 41.845 W 009° 12.350
29S E 482100 N 4283219
In 1496 the King D. Manuel I makes a request to build a Monastery in the Tagus banks to the holy church.
In 1501 the works began and one century later they were completed.
Waymark Code: WMX8C
Location: Portugal
Date Posted: 11/02/2006
Views: 112
The Jerónimos Monastery (Mosteiro dos Jerónimos) is located in the Belém district of Lisbon, Portugal. It is classified with nearby Belém Tower(Torre de Belém) as a World Heritage Site.
The house for the Hieronymite monks (Ordem de S. Jerónimo) was built on the site of the Ermida do Restelo, a hermitage founded by Henry the Navigator whose functios at the time were (among others) to pray for the soul of the King and to give al spiritual assistance to the sailers that were sailing from the restelo Beach. It was at this hermitage that Vasco da Gama and his men spent the night in prayer before departing for India.
The existing structure was started on the orders of Manuel I (1515-1520). Some say that it was to commemorate Vasco da Gama's successful return from India and others that the King wanted to build a Holy place were he and his descendence could be buryed.
Construction of the monastery began in 1501 and took nearly one century to complete. The building of the monastery was funded by a 5% tax on eastern spices, with the exceptions of pepper, cinnamon and cloves, revenue from which went straight to the Crown.
The monastery was designed and started in the Manueline style by Diogo de Boitaca (who was probably one of the originators of style) but, due to his size and the detail of the construction there were several architects responsible by the construction: Diogo de Boitaca (c.1460-1528), João de Castilho (c.1475-1552), Diogo de Torralva (c. 1500-1566), Jerónimo de Ruão (1530-1601).
The building has a long façade of more than 300 meters long and the ornate main entrance to the monastery, designed by Castilho, features several carved figures, including one of Henry the Navigator.
Within the monastery is the stone tomb of Vasco da Gama (1468-1523), as well as that of the poet and recorder of the discoveries, Luís de Camões (1527-1570).
In an extension added to the monastery in 1850 is located the Museu de Arqueologia (Archaeological Museum). The Museu da Marinha (Maritime Museum) is in west wing.
The monastery, like the nearby waymark Torre de Belém and Padrão dos Descobrimentos, symbolises the Portuguese Age of Discovery and is among the main tourist attractions of Lisbon.
The given coordinates will take you to the main door of the Monastery church.
The "Official Tourism" URL link to the attraction: [Web Link]
The attraction’s own URL: [Web Link]
Hours of Operation:
Out to Apr 10h to 17h
May to Sep 10h to 18h
Closes on Mondays and the National Hollidays: 1st January, Easter Sunday 1st May and 25th December
Admission Prices:
Church: Free
Monastery and Cloisters:
Normal - 4.5 Eur
Young (15 to 25) - 2.25 Eur
Free for Children up to 14 years
Sunsays and Hollidays untill 14h
Approximate amount of time needed to fully experience the attraction: Half of a day (2-5 hours)
Transportation options to the attraction: Personal Vehicle or Public Transportation
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