The Jeronimos Monastery is located in the Belem district of Lisbon, Portugal. The Monastery is classified with nearby Torre de Belem as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with lofty arches, inspiring columns, and elaborate spires.
The house for the Hieronymite monks was built on the site of the Ermida do Restelo, a hermitage founded by Henry the Navigator. It was at this hermitage that Vasco da Gama and his men spent the night in prayer before departing for India.
The existing structure was started on the orders of Manuel the first, who served from 1515 to 1520. The style is named after the commissioner, and the structure was ordered to commemorate Vasco da Gama's successful return from India. Construction of the monastery began in 1502 and took some 50 years to complete. The building of the monastery was funded by a mandatory five percent tax on eastern spices, with the exceptions of pepper, cinnamon and cloves, revenue from which went straight to the Crown.
The Jeronimos Monastery is of the few surviving examples of medieval, Manueline style architecture, designed by Diogo de Boitaca. De Boitaca was probably one of the originators of style. Together with Igreja de Jesus and João de Castilho, a Spaniard who took charge of construction in 1517, construction was completed. The ornate main entrance to the monastery was designed by Castilho and features several carved figures, including one of Henry the Navigator.
Within the monastery is the stone tomb of Vasco da Gama, who lived from 1468 to 1523 and set sail from Belem in 1497 to discover India. The tomb also holds poet and recorder of the discoveries, Luis de Camoes, who lived from 1527 to 1570. Camoes was Portugal's most famous poet, who wrote Os Lusiadas, or the Lusiads.
In an extension added to the monastery in 1850 is located the Museu de Arqueologia, or Archaeological Museum. The Museu da Marinha, or Maritime Museum, is located in the west wing.
The monastery, like the nearby Torre de Belem and Padrao dos Descobrimentos, symbolizes the Portuguese Age of Discovery and is among the main tourist attractions of Lisbon.
