Review: Jéronimos Monastery

Start us off with an overview.
Set close to Belém Tower, Jerónimos Monastery is a limestone-clad Manueline masterpiece that was built for the Hieronymite Monastery on the site of an old church—the one where Vasco da Gama and his crew spent their last night in Portugal before their famed seafaring sojourn to India. The massive structure, which commenced building in 1501, took a century to complete.

Wow. What’s the dominant mood?
Tranquility and awe.

What draws people here?
One of Lisbon’s most important attractions, the monastery attracts a wide swath of travelers on the Belém circuit. Just know that you can’t possibly take in everything in one visit.

What’s it like when you’re actually there?
Manuel I was keen to construct the monastery as a testament to the glorious Age of Discoveries, when bright-eyed Portuguese sailors were constantly setting off in search of new lands. Fittingly, the design—which blends Gothic and Renaissance elements—flaunts botanical motifs and nautical ones like ropes and anchors. Amid the wealth of vaulted arches, statuary, religious symbols, and ornamentation, look out for the Church of Sta. Maria, where one finds the tombs of Vasco da Gama and the poet Luís de Camões. Find serenity in the interior gardens of the cloisters.

Got it. So then what, or who, do you think it’s best for?
History geeks and architecture nerds will appreciate wandering through here, but it’s not hard for anyone to succumb to the UNESCO site’s staggering size and grandeur.