Jerónimos Monastery
The Jerónimos Monastery or Hieronymites Monastery (Portuguese: Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, IPA: [muʃˈtɐjɾu ðu(ʒ) ʒɨˈɾɔnimuʃ]) is a former monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome near the Tagus river in the parish of Belém, in the Lisbon Municipality, Portugal. It became the necropolis of the Portuguese royal dynasty of Aviz in the 16th century but was secularized on 28 December 1833 by state decree and its ownership transferred to the charitable institution, Real Casa Pia de Lisboa.
| Jerónimos Monastery | |
|---|---|
Mosteiro dos Jerónimos | |
The main visitors' entrance and wings housing the Maritime Museum and the National Archaeology Museum | |
| General information | |
| Type | Monastery |
| Architectural style | Portuguese Gothic, Manueline architecture |
| Location | Santa Maria de Belém |
| Town or city | Lisbon |
| Country | Portugal |
| Coordinates | 38°41′52″N 9°12′22″W |
| Opened | 1495 |
| Owner | Portuguese Republic |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Lioz stone |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Diogo de Boitaca |
| Website | |
| www | |
UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| Official name | Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém |
| Location | Europe and North America |
| Criteria | iii, vi |
| Reference | 263 |
| Inscription | 1983 (7th Session) |
Portuguese National Monument | |
| Type | Non-movable |
| Criteria | National Monument |
| Designated | 10 January 1907 |
| Reference no. | IPA.00006543 |
The Jerónimos Monastery is one of the most prominent examples of the late Portuguese Gothic Manueline style of architecture in Lisbon. It was erected in the early 1500s near the launch point of Vasco da Gama's first journey, and its construction funded by a tax on the profits of the yearly Portuguese India Armadas. In 1880, da Gama's remains and those of the poet Luís de Camões (who celebrated da Gama's first voyage in his 1572 epic poem, The Lusiad), were moved to new carved tombs in the nave of the monastery's church, only a few meters away from the tombs of the kings Manuel I and John III, whom da Gama had served. In 1983, the Jerónimos Monastery was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the nearby Tower of Belém.