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Belém · Museums

The Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, or Jerónimos Monastery, sits in Belém, a riverside district in western Lisbon beside the Tagus. Its address is Praça do Império, 1400-211 Lisboa, and Belém Tower and the Monument to the Discoveries are a short walk away. The monastery is a National Monument and was classified a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. The story begins in the mid-15th century, when the Infante D. Henrique ordered a church built nearby in the name of St. Mary of Belém. In 1496 King Manuel I decided to found the Monastery of St. Mary of Belém close to Lisbon, partly to keep the Infante's memory alive, given his devotion to Our Lady and his faith in St. Jerome. The monks of the Order of St. Jerome received it, hence its common name today. Raised in the early 16th century, during Portugal's Age of Discoveries, it was commissioned to celebrate the country's maritime success and to give thanks for Vasco da Gama's voyage to India. Wealth from global trade paid for much of it. Architecturally, the monastery follows the Manueline style, a uniquely Portuguese form of late Gothic. Carved maritime motifs run through the building, including ropes, anchors, armillary spheres and exotic plants. Inside, the main attractions are the two-storey cloister, the Church of Santa Maria de Belém and the old Refectory. The church served as a pantheon of the Avis-Beja Dynasty, and in the 19th century it became the burial place of Vasco da Gama and the poet Luís de Camões. The church is free to enter, but it has its own entrance and queue, separate from the paid monastery route. The paid ticket gives timed entry to the cloisters and historic chapels, and the high choir view into the church and the Refectory are easy to rush past. Audio guides come in English, French, German or Spanish. Entry is free with the Lisboa Card, which requires booking a date and time beforehand. The monastery opens from 10:00 to 17:30 between October and April and from 10:00 to 18:30 between May and September. It is closed on Mondays, 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. Queues can exceed an hour in peak season, and midday brings cruise groups, coach tours and school visits. Most visitors spend one to three hours here, and a guided visit typically lasts around 2.5 hours. The phone number is +351 213 620 034.