Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Cost and Hours:
The church is free, but the cloisters cost €7. A €10 combo-ticket
saves you €2 if you also visit the Tower of Belém (both free Sun until 14:00, hours for
both: May-Sept Tue-Sun 10:00-18:30, off-season until 17:30, closed Mon, last entry 30
minutes before closing,
www.mosteirojeronimos.pt
)
.
(See “Monastery of Jerónimos” map,
here
.)
Self-Guided Tour:
Here's a tour, starting outside the monastery:
South Portal:
The fancy portal, facing the street, is textbook Manueline. Henry
the Navigator stands between the doors with the king's patron saint, St. Jerome (above on
the left, with the lion). Henry (Manuel's uncle) built the original sailors' chapel on this
site. This door is only used when Mass lets out or for Saturday weddings. (The electronic
snapping sound you hear is designed to keep the pigeons away.)
ChurchEntrance:
As you approach the main entrance, the church is on your right
and the cloisters are straight ahead. Flanking the church door are kneeling statues of King
Manuel I, the Fortunate (left of door, with St. Jerome), and his wife, Maria (right, with
John the Baptist).
Church Interior:
The Manueline style is on the cusp of the Renaissance. The
space is more open than earlier medieval churches. Slender, palm tree-like columns don't
break the interior space (as Gothic columns would), and the ceiling is all one height. Mo-
tifs from the sea hide in the decor. The sea brought Portugal 16th-century wealth and
power, making this art possible. You'll see rope-like arches, ships, and monsters that
evoke the mystery of undiscovered lands. Artichokes, eaten for their vitamin C to fend off
scurvy, remind us of the hardships sailors faced at sea.
Renaissance Altar:
Nearly everything here survived the 1755 earthquake, except
for the stained glass (the replacement glass is from 1940). In the main altar, ele-
phants—the Oriental symbol of power, which dethroned lions as the most powerful and
kingly of beasts—support two kings and two queens (King Manuel I is front-left). Many
Portuguese churches (such as the cathedrals in downtown Lisbon and Évora) were ren-
ovated in Renaissance and Baroque times, resulting in an odd mix of dark, older naves
and pretty pastel altars. Walk back on the side with the seven wooden confessional doors
(on your right). Notice the ornamental carving around the second one: a festival of faces
from newly discovered corners of the world. Ahead of you (near the entry, under a ceiling
that's a veritable
Boy Scout's Handbook
of rope and knots) is the...
Tomb of Vasco da Gama:
On the night of July 7, 1497, da Gama (1460-1524)
prayed for a safe voyage, in the small chapel that stood here before the current church
was built. The next day, he set sail from Belém with four ships (see the caravel carved in
the middle of the tomb's side) and 150 men. He was armed with state-of-the-art maps and
