Jeronimos Monastery is located in Belem, a parish of Lisbon close to the Targus river. To call it beautiful would be an understatement. I don’t care how jaded you are, you still need to visit on any Lisbon trip. Officially called the Hieronymites Monastery as well.
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The Late Gothic architectural style is known as Manueline, a Portuguese version of the Gothic style, which incorporated maritime elements and objects brought to Portugal by famous explorers such as Vasco da Gama and Pedro Cabral. These elements mixed with the then traditional Mudejar , Italian, Flemish and Spanish influences make for a very interesting style that l found very pleasing to the eye. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.
Jeronimos Monastery Belem Portugal: History
The monastery replaced the Santa Maria de Belem church which was used as a place for monks to assist seamen. King Manuel I ordered the commission of the monastery and was designated as a final resting place for the elite and royalty. It took 100 years to build and was financed with money realized from the very lucrative spice trade with Africa and India.
My original intention was to visit the church only because my interest was to actually see the tomb of Vasco da Gama. Seville as you know has a cathedral with the tomb of Christopher Columbus which l have written about before. This one is just as impressive. The monastery in Belem makes it the clear winner of the two. It’s just stunning.
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Since we visited in the thick of summer, it was not only hot, but the line was absurdly long. In hindsight, we should have seen the monastery first because what we had originally thought was a short line was nothing compared to what it became by the time we exited the church. I’m glad however that we persevered as it was worth it. While in line, Federico saw one of his favorite Italian actors and got to take a picture, so he was happy (It’s one of those shows like “the office” but everyone stands in front of the water cooler only and seems to be hilarious).
Seeing the church and wandering about, I am constantly reminded of one of the greatest novels I’ve ever read, thanks to Nadeen. It’s by Ken Follett, called “Pillars of the Earth” It really brings everything to life, and you feel and understand the superb work that went into these historic magnificent places. I’m looking for naves and cloisters 😉 and had a good sense of how they accomplished it, thanks to the novel. An added layer of knowledge that l loved.
Monastery Jeronimos:
Belem Monastery: Grounds
WOW! Just wow! That’s all l can say. The monastery is constructed with a gold colored limestone (calcario de lioz) which was brought in from the valley of Alcantara in Spain. Depending on where you stood and time of day, the coloring seemed to shift. The cloisters were decorated so lavishly. Even the monks refectory was gorgeous. It seemed they lived in the grand style. The number of royalty and elite buried here are just too numerous. In addition to the king and Vasco da Gama, there are also notables like the poets Joao de Deus, Luis de Camoes and Sidonio Pais. It helped a lot that the signs were in English and Portuguese, otherwise we would have been lost.
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Hall of Kings at Jeronimos Monastery:
Henrique Ferreira was commissioned to paint portraits of the Kings of Portugal in 1720. There are a bunch of them and you could spend at least a couple of hours reading the history of each easily. We spent only about 40 minutes in there. It was pretty crowded.
After a visit to the Belem monastery, it is almost obligatory to walk down the street and join the throngs of people in line for that icon of Portugal, the Pastéis de Belem which is basically the famous pasteis de nata but made in Belem.
Pastel de Nata in Belem Portugal: (Pastéis de Belém)
Since this is egg tart pastry that Belem is famous for, we figured we’d give it a try here since everyone said you must try it if you go to Belem. The verdict? Federico loved it, absolutely loved it. Me? It was okay, nothing special, but then l’ve never been a big fan of custards except for breakfast. I’d rather have a Kit-Kat 😉 . Just not a big fan of desserts like that. There was an insane line outside the most famous pastry shop of course, but l suppose that is part of the whole experience, the anticipation. We skipped the line and went to a little cafe across the street to get it. Pretty sure he probably got it from across the street early in the morning. Wouldn’t you know that he did just that because we asked!
Getting to Jeronimos Monastery in Belem Portugal from Lisbon:
We took the Yellow bus line tour which dropped us off right there. I would recommend doing that as there really is no easy way of getting there. You could take a taxi because the metro doesn’t go there, or one of the old trams (No. 15) that go up the hill there. We thought of that, but good luck trying to find space on one!! You can also take a ferry there or the bus lines 727, 58, and 751.
Belem makes for a great day trip from Lisbon as you can see. It’s likely you will spend at least three hours here with the monastery, museum and church, and then of course depending on the crowds, it might be more. It’s a place l wouldn’t mind revisiting as there were some places we didn’t get to visit.
Entry fee to Jeronimos Monastery is €10
We paid €12 each for entrance to the monastery and museum of archaeology combination. Don’t bother with that museum. It was tiny and had like 6 things, not worth it at all, but it did have a nice bathroom 🙂
Free admission to Jeronimos Monastery on the first Sunday of each month
Jeronimos Monastery hours : 10am – 5.30pm (Winter)
10am-6.30pm (Summer)
Closed Mondays
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What do you think of Jeronimo’s monastery in Belem? Would you like to visit it or is it too touristy for you? Are you a big fan of pastries such as the Pastel de Nata?
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Nice photos Kemkem.
I mentioned on my Lisbon post that while we found the city beautiful, not many of the actual sites were spectacular. I got a lot of crap for that. But of those sites the Jeronimos Monastery was the absolute highlight for us (followed by the Tile Museum and the Madre de Deus chapel in the convent that the museum is housed).We thought it was quite spectacular. And yes, we also lined up in the hot sun ;(.
Frank (bbqboy)
I actually wrote out of order. Federico’s editorial style photography has rubbed off on me. I would have written the Lisbon post first as we encountered that. This was definitely the highlight of the trip to Lisbon for me. I loved, loved, loved it. I am trying to put my finger on why l liked Lisbon, but it hasn’t come to me. I just know hat l do, but nothing jumps out at me. It will end up being a pictorial essay l suppose 🙂
The more I see of Portugal thanks to your stories and pictures. The more I want to visit. Better than the usual overcrowded Algarve beach stuff. Seeing beautiful buildings, art, history are more fun! The monastery is magnificent, wow those monks had money!
Who is the actor, I don’t recognise him- or maybe because he is in civilian mode aka incognito:-D
Oh I like your dress what a pretty vibrant colour! Never seen a picture of you in anything but jeans, come to think of it.;-)
That’s the same thing l said! A lot of money went into building the monastery. I think about 1500 pounds of gold l think per year or something if l remember right. Amazing place. I much prefer this kind of discovery of historic places. The spice trade was very lucrative :-).
The actor is from some show in Italy. The whole show takes place in front of the water cooler, different workers coming and telling stories etc. He was one of the main ones. Thanks for the compliment. I do usually only wear jeans, but if it’s warm , l will do a skirt of a dress like this cos l can roll it into my carry-on. I was all orangey with the bag too…
Wow those pictures are so beautiful. I’ve never been to Portugal but after seeing these pictures I definitely want to. Thanks for sharing!!!
This was the best day of Lisbon for me, seeing this. I definitely agree on the beauty. You’d really like it l think 🙂
Wow, that’s an impressive monastery! You start to get bored, eventually, with churches if you travel a bit, but this one is indeed impressive, both inside, but especially on the outside. And if you get a bonus of meeting a favorite actor every time you visit, it’s even better! 🙂 The pastry doesn’t look very inviting, but I am somehow sure that I would’ve loved it as well.
Yes, you do become very blasé about the churches after a while, but this one was really cool. The tombs were like alpha and omega. The Vasco da Gama one at the exit side, and the Vasco da Camoes at the entrance both designed by the same person. Really beautiful. Yeah, he was pretty happy and wanted me to get out of line to take the picture. I was like no way..haha..till l asked the people to hold my place ‘cos l wasn’t get at the back again. The pastry is a huge hit with everyone. I’m sure you would have loved it. I always squeeze jelly etc out of donuts etc. so l wasn’t surprised that l didn’t like it 🙂 .
Amazing and beautiful place, to see it all must take all day? Or even days? The gold coloured limestone is stunning, I am not surprised it has taken 100 years to build such an enormous and intricate structure. It must have been so hot to wait on the long line? But definitely worth it. I love pasteis de nata.
Haha! Frederic loved that little pastry. It definitely was worth the wait. You can definitely spend at least a day there if you’re really into history, especially in the Hall of Kings. They had a lot of details on the various people and the Houses that have ruled over the years and video..along with the paintings. Very, very nice..but crowded. I would go back in the winter to experience it again.
The more you share the more I want to visit. Absolutely beautiful!
The more l want you to visit 🙂 . It’s a beautiful place indeed.
Great post Kemkem and enjoyed your aside comments as always. The monastery looks spectacular. We just arrived in Lisbon yesterday and we have a view of it from our rooftop terrace. We’re here for 5 weeks and it will definitely be one of our sightseeing days.
Oh, you’ll definitely love it. What a grand view from your terrace. I am quite envious. It must be spectacular. I’m looking forward to reading about it. 5 weeks will give you a great overview of Lisbon as a whole. Maybe l’ll be able to detect why l really liked the place, but can’t quite put my finger on it 🙂 . Have a wonderful time!
We led you astray on our first comment. Our easterly view is to the Church and Monastery of Sao Vicente not the Jeronimos Monastery. It is equally beautiful though. After just a couple of days we can see why you liked. By the way we found some great pastels de nata – I (Tim) loved them but Anne is GF so she could only watch.
That sucks that she could only watch 😉 , glad you like them though. Oh, l think next time we have to check out the Sao Vicente, especially if you say it’s beautiful. I wonder if it’s the same limestone which l find awesome. It really is a great and beautiful city..the sea views etc..etc.
We were lucky enough to visit the Jeronimos Monastery in May (on the Hop-on, Hop-Off bus tour) when the sun was a lot kinder and the line was almost nonexistent. There are a lot of superlatives to describe this UNESCO WHS but your word, “Stunning,” definitely sums it up for us! I’m with Fede – love those natas- but I have to agree with you that “Pillars of the Earth” is one of my favorite books. It’s very humbling to realize that those who began to build this beautiful monastery never got to see their masterpiece finished… Anita
I know right? They can’t even gloat and say “I helped build that”! I think l’m vain enough to want the credit :-). I think the next time we head that way, it will be when the sun is kinder. It was definitely cruel that day, but all forgotten once l saw the monastery though. Have you read the second part, World without end?. It didn’t grip me as much as the first one from the beginning but l really liked it too. You and Fede can have all the natas, I will stick the usual boring Bounty bar or similar :-).
I wish I’d seen your very well written post with amazing photos before my Lisbon visit, took the hop off bus and saw Belem, saw the Jeronimos Monastery from outside, hope to revisit Lisbon
I hope you get to revisit too. It is definitely the highlight of Belem. Amazing the beauty of the monastery. We almost skipped it too because of the line, but l’m glad we did.
I absolutely love all the pictures and they make me want to go visit the Jeronimos Monastery. The monastery looks awesome!
Thank you. I think you would really enjoy the beauty of the monastery. It is awesome!
You’ve made the Jeronimos Monastery came alive through your photographs and words. I’ve never been to Portugal but this spot looks fantastic.
Thank you. It really is an incredible place. So glad we went. The highlight of our Lisbon trip.
What a cool place! I haven’t made it to Portugal yet but it’s near the top of my list!
I think you would love it, it is a cool place. Glad we finally made it there.
Gorgeous photos as usual! We have a family friend whose family is from Portugal and she told us about her most recent visit – it would be so nice to see it in person. Oh – I think I would have chosen a kit kat too. My husband? He’d have been all in. He loves sweet stuff.
Thanks Eva. Another Kit-Kat lover..good to hear.I just can’t get into all that sweet stuff. You would definitely love Portugal, it’s old, but exciting and fresh at the same time.
These archways are just absolutely incredible as are those columns with the carvings – looks like these buildings they made out of sugar back in the day or Harry Potter 😉
Exactly! I was thinking the same thing when l saw them. They are really gorgeous and shimmer. A very nice place indeed.
Never been there before, not even flew over Portugal. However the photos and building show how history rich Portugal is. One day, hopefully, I will definitely visit.
I hope you get a chance to visit Portugal. It is a really pretty place. The photos don’t do it justice.
Gorgeous! If i ever visited Portugal i mist go
Totally worth it.
Portugal is another one on my list! I especially love the artwork. Gorgeous pictures as always.
Thanks Tia. I’m glad we finally got to visit, worth the wait 🙂
This place looks beautiful! So much history and you look like you had an amazing time. Thanks for sharing.
We really did have a great time, we can’t wait to visit again. It’s lovely.
OMG these pictures are AMAZING. I have a stopover in Lisbon, but I don’t think it’s long enough to explore. Just an excuse to visit. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Thanks for reading Jo, and for the compliment. Yeah, you would definitely need some time to visit Belem. Any visit is good.
Beautiful city! I love it how you and your guy are building a lifetime of memories together. Keep it up!
Thanks Stacie. We are definitely loving it so far,and hopefully the memories will still be clear in my old age 🙂
The photos are absolutely beautiful!! You’re so blessed to have an opportunity to travel and see Portugal. I love the architecture and paintings you showed. It looks like it was an amazing experience!
It really was a great experience. Thanks for the compliment, and you’re right, we are blessed and very fortunate. Portugal is beautiful.
The architecture of buildings are grand and have maintained their beauty over the years.
Thanks for sharing your trip with us.
They built them well in those days, unlike today of course. I love seeing historic places. That and food 🙂
I absolutely revel in gawking at and taking pics of outstanding architecture and this monastery (that courtyard!) would definitely be a feast for my eyes! As for pasteis…..they’re ok but I rather have tiramisu! 🙂
Oh..a woman after my heart. I love tiramisu. Federico makes an awesome one so l am truly spoiled :-). The only better one l’ve eaten is his aunt’s in Rome. The monastery is stunning, and yep! you’d love it .
I’m impressed with the intricate design, both on the inside and outside! And the whole place just seems to be glowing!!
Glowing is exactly the right word. It almost looks like some filter on the pictures, but it’s due to the kind of limestone. Some of the streets in the old town also has them on the flooring too which is so cool.
Beautiful pictures and descriptions as always! I would love to visit there.
Those tarts are delicious! We have a Portuguese bakery here at home and I buy them when I see them.
I know for sure you would totally love the monastery! I still think the tarts are just okay, no matter how much you guys like them…give me some Maltesers 🙂
Oh my goodness! What a charmed life you live! These pics and this experience is amazing.
Haha! I have never considered it that way, but l guess you’re right. It is a charmed life :-). Thanks for the compliment.
This place looks amazing! I love history. So this is a place that I would love to visit if I ever went to Portugal. Looks like you had a great trip.
You would definitely enjoy it then. The hall of kings was very impressive, and so much of the history of all the ruling houses over the years. One could easily spend hours just in there :-). We definitely did have a great trip.