PORTUGAL, LISBON: BELEM TOWER AND JERONIMOS MONASTERY

June 24, 2022

Borrowing the idea from history's Seven Wonders of the World, Portugal decided in the early 2000s to come up with the Seven Wonders of Portugal. Portugal is a wonder-filled place, and the initial list contained 793 national monuments. Experts whittled the list down to 77, and then to 21 finalists.  At that point, the public was allowed to vote. Six-month-long elections resulted in this final list:
          1. The Castle of Guimarães
          2. Castle of Óbidos
          3. Batalha Monastery
          4. Alcobaça Monastery
          5. Jerónimos Monastery
          6. Pena Palace
          7. Belém Tower

We had seen #6 the previous day, and on this day we were going to visit #7 and then #5, which is within walking distance of #7.  (Eventually we would get to all seven Portuguese Wonders.) 

The Belém Tower didn't open until 10:00, so there was no need to rush to get off early. We caught an Uber at about 9:30 AM and arrived in time to get our tickets and be among the first people to cross the bridge to the small, offshore island where the tower was built in the early 16th century to defend the entrance to the Tagus river and provide protection for the Jerónimos Monastery. It also served as a gateway to the city and a ceremonial point of arrival and departure for Portuguese explorers. Both the Belém Tower and the Jerónimos Monastery that we visited next are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The shallow water beneath the bridge was filled with small fish that were able to spot in the clear water.

The Tower and nearby Monastery are some of the country's best examples of what is called Manueline architecture, also known as Portuguese late Gothic. The style is named after a Portuguese king, Manuel I, who was reigning during the construction of these buildings. The complex design includes maritime, sea, and botanical motifs; symbols of Christianity; elements of newly discovered lands and cultures (especially Moorish details); and lots of pillars, twisted columns, asymmetry, conical pinnacles, and ornate doors.

I was excited to climb the 93 steps of the tightly winding staircase to the very top of the tower. Bob was struggling with foot problems, so I went without him. I was disappointed to discover a barricade closing off the last 40 or so steps, but I did get to see the mid-level rooms and the artillery.

We walked from the Tower to the Jerónimos Monastery. It was one of the many times in Portugal that we were grateful for GPS on our phones because the path wound through narrow, convoluted side streets and past fenced-off construction zones that prevented a logical path. A block away from the monastery, we were hailed from an outdoor restaurant by a British couple who had been with us on our trip to Sintra the previous day. They were enjoying breakfast and waiting for the sprinkling rain to stop. We had really enjoyed their company on our joint excursion, and it was crazy to think that in a city the size of Lisbon and with its vast number of tourist sites that our paths should cross again.

As noted earlier, the Jerónimos Monastery, also called the Hieronymites Monastery, is one of the best examples of Manueline architecture in Portugal. Like the Belém Tower, it was built in the early 1500s near the launch point of Vasco da Gama's first journey, which took him around the tip of Africa to India and back, a mind-blowing distance longer than the length of the equator.

I thought the gaudy entrance facing the street was the main entrance . . . 

. . . but it turns out the main entrance is on the side and opens into the Church of Santa Maria.

Carved in the stone above the door are scenes from the Nativity.

Peter is off to the left of the main entrance holding a ginormous key. I'm pretty sure it could unlock the gates of heaven. I'm not sure who the woman in the funky hat on the right side of the entrance is, but it looks like that could be John the Baptist standing behind her.  

This monastery has several VITs of VIPs (Very Important Tombs of Very Important People). The first we saw is the tomb of Luís de Camões (1524-1580), Portugal's greatest poet who is often compared to Shakespeare, Virgil, Dante, Milton, and others. 

The other VIP in the monastery is none other than Vasco da Gama (1469-1524), the explorer who discovered a sea route to India. His mortal remains and those of Camões were moved to the monastery in 1880. Their elaborate tombs, carved in the Manueline style that was prominent during their lifetimes, were erected in 1894.

The octagonal columns holding up the ceiling are over 80 feet tall and are decorated with intricate carvings. 

Stained glass windows are framed by ornately carved stone casings.

King Manuel I selected the Hieronymite monks (or the order of St. Jerome) as the caretakers of this religious palace. Their job was to pray for the king's eternal soul and provide spiritual guidance to those who sailed from the nearby port.

Small chapels dot the perimeter. I think it was in this church that we first noticed the stair-step structures that are ubiquitous in Portuguese chapels. A guide we had later called them (somewhat facetiously) "stairways to heaven."

I love elephants, and it was fun to see them holding up the many "stairways to heaven" thoughout the church--a reminder of Vasco da Gama's voyages to India.

I'm telling you, these monks were not living in poverty. No siree.  In fact, this monastery and others in Portugal became so powerful that they were closed in 1833 and the religious orders were dissolved.

There are many depictions of St. Jerome, a 4th century biblical scholar who is best known for translating the Bible into Latin and for his teachings on living a moral life.

There are also depictions of Jesus at every age. 

I don't know where this small door leads to, but even it gets "the royal treatment" of a variety of faces carved into its stone frame.

The Catholic fascination with the crucifixion and the traumatized body of Christ used to bother me, but lately I have been finding it more compelling--a very human side of God. His mortality is something we humans can relate to on some level.

Time to move on.