Mosteiro dos Jerónimos

The Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Jerónimos Monastery) is possibly the most extravagant religious building of Portugal, funded by the taxes levied on the goods that flowed through Lisbon, but it was here that the golden age of Portugal started. Mosteiro dos Jerónimos is a wonder to behold; the exterior is covered by ornately stone carvings which may be regarded as sheer flamboyance around the main entrance.

While the interior is a marvel of engineering, that the small spindly columns could support the vast roof and suffer no damage during the 1755 earthquake that flattened most of Lisbon. Further into the monastery the architects pushed the boundaries of the era of conformity by designing a two tiered cloister. It is no wonder that the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos which was originally planned to be finished in 8 years took over 50 to be regarded as finished.

 

The grandeur of the monastery and the splendour of the adjoined church, indicates the extent of the wealth that poured into Lisbon from the colonies as part of Portugal’s golden era. The monastery is rightfully at the heart of the era as it was here that Vasco da Gama spent his last night praying before his voyage around the Cape of Good Hope and discovery of the sea route to India.

Tourist Information About the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos

Mosteiro dos Jerónimos is located in the Belem District of Lisbon, west of central Lisbon and is best reached via the tram network. The Mosteiro dos Jerónimos is visited as part of the Belem walking tour. Highlights inside Mosteiro dos Jerónimos include; the decoratively stone carved main entrance, the unusual two tier cloister and the main chapel supported by the slender pillars. The main chapel is free to enter but the cloisters costs €3 to visit.

 

The location of Mosteiro dos Jerónimos has always had close ties with Portugal’s great explorers, the original hermitage (Ermida do Restelo) was founded by Henry the Navigator in 1450 and was only a very small hermitage when Vasco da Gama spent his fabled last night on land before leaving to discover India.

 

The church of Mosteiro dos Jerónimos was original built to commemorate the safe return of Vasco da Gama and his men. The ground work of the church was constructed during the reign of Manuel I (1515-1520). Mosteiro dos Jerónimos was original built on the banks of the River Tejo overlooking the docks and harbours of Belem but now the monastery and church stands much further in land due to siltation of the river Tejo estuary.

Sailors of the era were notoriously superstitious and the significance of the church grew as sailors prayed at the same location of Vasco da Gama in the hope that they would also return safely. There was a close connection between Mosteiro dos Jeronimos and the sailors that set out on the voyages of discovery. When gold and riches started to flow into the city on the back of the spice trade money was channeled into funding the extravagant building works of the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos.

 

The construction of the monastery originally started in 1502 but, with the additional revenue that was available from the spice trade, the design was altered from functional to excessive. With this increase of grandeur the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos took over 50 years to complete and the architect Joao de Castilho was able to design elaborate and ways that did not conform to the normality of the time. The Mosteiro dos Jeronimos is the only monastery of the era to be constructed around a two tier cloister.

 

The ornately carved grand entrance of Mosteiro dos Jeronimos could rival any of the classical great cathedrals, the stone is intricately carved with the images of saints and patterns with Vasco da Gama atop of the door way. Due to the clever engineering design of small columns that support the vast roof church, the roof was able to withstand the devastating 1755 earthquake. The majority of Lisbon’s large buildings collapsed while Mosteiro dos Jerónimos had only slight damage.

 

The Mosteiro dos Jerónimos decayed during the abolition of the religious orders brought about by the protracted invasion by Napoleon and the entire church complex, though surviving the earthquake, almost collapsed. In 1983 Mosteiro dos Jerónimos became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and presently is one of the top tourist attractions of Lisbon.