09 August 2016

#1130 Portugal | PT-480959


The Jerónimos Monastery or Hieronymites Monastery (Mosteiro dos Jerónimos), is a monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome near the Tagus river in the parish of Belém, in the Lisbon MunicipalityPortugal.

The monastery is one of the most prominent examples of the Portuguese Late Gothic Manueline style of architecture in Lisbon. It was classified a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the nearby Tower of Belém, in 1983.

The Jerónimos Monastery replaced the church formerly existing in the same place, which was dedicated to Santa Maria de Belém and where the monks of the military-religious Order of Christ provided assistance to seafarers in transit. The harbour of Praia do Restelo was an advantageous spot for mariners, with a safe anchorage and protection from the winds, sought after by ships entering the mouth of the Tagus. The existing structure was inaugurated on the orders of Manuel I (1469–1521) at the courts of Montemor o Velho in 1495, as a final resting-place for members of the House of Aviz, in his belief that an Iberian dynastic kingdom would rule after his death. In 1496, King Manuel petitioned the Holy See for permission to construct a monastery at the site. The Hermitage of Restelo (Ermida do Restelo), as the church was known, was already in disrepair when Vasco da Gama and his men spent the night in prayer there before departing on their expedition to the Orient in 1497.


Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO: 1983


Thank you, Daniela (nakipa) !

Received on: August 9, 2016
Travel time: 14 days
Distance: 3323 km

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