A UNESCO World Heritage Site and national icon, the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém is a masterpiece of early 16th-century Portuguese Manueline architecture. Highlights include elaborately carved interior features, peaceful cloisters, explorer Vasco da Gama's tomb and the refectory.
A vast homage to the seafaring men who made Portugal's name, the Jerónimos Monastery was established in 1496, when the king petitioned to set up a monastery devoted to the protection of Portugal's sailors and explorers. Building work took up the most part of the 16th century. The Manueline style of architecture, particular to Portugal, is an ornate blend of late Gothic and Renaissance, with signs of seafaring, nature and the monarchy (rope, flora, fauna and coats of arms) sculpted into the columns.
The monastery housed monks of the Order of Saint Jerome, whose prayers were intended to safeguard the seafaring Portuguese on their expeditions. A pilgrimage to visit the resting place of the ultimate traveller and the expanses of Manueline architecture are reason enough to visit this Lisbon landmark, while the Naval Museum is also housed in the monastery complex.