Mosteiro dos Jerónimos

Belém

I previously shared with you our day in Belém. Today another view of Jerónimos Monastery.

The monastery commissioned by King Dom Manuel I, and was financed by the discoveries of Vasco da Gama’s voyage to India in 1498 as well as a tax levied on trade with Africa and the Orient. Construction began in 1501 and continued for nearly the entire century.

Monks from the Order of Saint Jerome lived in the monastery until the 19th century. At that point, the building was handed over to a charitable organization that used the building as a school and orphanage until 1940. The monastery church (below) became the parish church of the Belém district. As you enter the church, you will notice two tombs. On the left, you will find the tomb of Vasco da Gama and opposite it the tomb of the Portuguese poet Luís de Camões. 

Taken from the balcony, looking toward the altar.