Mosteiro dos Jerónimos

On the Lisbon waterfront at Belém, the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos is the grandest monument of Portugal’s age of discovery. Built in the Manueline style with the wealth of the spice trade, it combines a soaring church, an extraordinary cloister and a facade carved with ropes, shells and exotic plants.

A monument of the discoveries

The monastery was founded in 1501 by King Manuel I, close to the spot from which Vasco da Gama had sailed to India a few years earlier, and was given to the Order of Saint Jerome. Its construction lasted most of the sixteenth century and drew on the greatest architects of the day. Together with the nearby Tower of Belém, it is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.

What to see

• The south portal, one of the masterpieces of Manueline sculpture.
• The two-storey cloister, with its carved columns and tranquil garden.
• The church, with the tomb of Vasco da Gama and the poets Luís de Camões and Fernando Pessoa.
• The refectory and the monastic rooms, which now house the National Museum of Archaeology.

Visiting the monastery

The monastery is at Praça do Império, Belém, Lisbon. The church has free entry, while the cloister and monastic rooms are ticketed. Opening hours and tickets are published on the official website, so check before your visit.

Visitor information: mosteirojeronimos.gov.pt.

Image credit: Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, Lisbon, by Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.