Jeronimos klooster in Lissabon. Foto: CEB.
Ligt in de thans in Lissabon geïncorporeerde stad Belém. De kerk van het vroegere Jeronimosklooster uit de 16de eeuw, met praalgraven van ontdekkingsreizigers, staatslieden en dichters, behoort tot de voornaamste bezienswaardigheden in Portugal. 

Jerónimos Monastery
When we look at the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos and the Torre de Belém, what we can see are two monuments bearing testimony to a period that gave a whole new direction to the course of the world`s history. They were erected symbolically in Belém, the city`s port, from where, in the sixteenth century, the caravels and other large ships set sail on the great voyages of the Portuguese maritime discoveries. Today, now that both the port and beach have disappeared, the site has become a pleasant leisure area where Lisbon inhabitants love to go for a stroll and enjoy the delightful climate of their city.
A small chapel
 - Santa Maria de Belém - was built here at the behest of Prince Henry the Navigator on the site where the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos now stands. The monastery was itself commissioned by D. Manuel I, with a view to its later being used as his own pantheon, and entrusted to the Order of St. Jerome (Hieronymites). The magnificence of the building reflects the universalist vision of its founder and the powerful financial resources that the Portuguese crown enjoyed at that time.
The sixteenth century
in Portugal was profoundly connected to the Discoveries and the Messianic idea of the Empire, inspiring a unique style that later came to be known as "Manueline", since it was developed in the reign of D. Manuel I. The decorative features carved out of the monastery`s stone (many of which were inspired by the sea) should be studied carefully for they are perhaps the most stimulating way of discovering more about this unique contribution that Portugal made to the art of stonework.
The monument`s original design
is the work of the architect Boytac, and its construction began in 1502. This was the initial phase of building work that was to be continued by other Masters, namely João de Castilho and, in the middle of the century, Diogo de Torralva.
The most impressive features of the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, which was classified as World Heritage in 1983, are the church, cloisters and the larger monastic rooms.
Bron: de site van het Portugees Verkeersbureau

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