A Monastery and Catle in Lisbon, Portugal
Saint Jerome Monastery No visit to Lisbon would be complete without seeing two of the oldest buildings still standing in the city. While they have served very different purposes, they both have interesting histories. Mosteiro dos Jerónimos Along the shore of the Tagus River, in the Belém neighborhood, is the former Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Saint Jerome Monastery). The monastery sits on the site of a church dedicated to Santa Maria de Belém, where monks were available aid and minister to ships as they departed from or arrived to Lisbon. The monastery was built in the early 1500’s, along with a new church for Santa Maria, near the point of embarkation for Vaasco de Gama’s journey in 1498. Praça do Imperio Praça do Imperio Monument to the Discoveries The monastery was built in a style called Manuelin e, known for complex sculptural themes. It was designed by Diogo de Boiteca (1460-1527), under order of King Manuel I. Its inner courtyard is lined on both the...