Mosteiro dos Jerónimos – Lisbon

If you came on my Monday walk to Belém, in Lisbon, you will have guessed that this is the Monastery of Jerónimos.  Not hard to see why it is a UNESCO World Heritage site, but I hope you will join with me in celebrating its beauty.

My expectations were high, for this was the third time I’d come to Lisbon, hoping to visit the monastery.  They say God works in mysterious ways, and it’s not for us to understand.  I was happy simply to stand in the midst of all this glory.

A church dedicated to Santa Maria de Belém was the forerunner to the monastery.  This stretch of the River Tagus provided a safe harbour and anchorage for shipping back in the 15th century, and the monks of the Order of Christ gave assistance and spiritual guidance to seafarers.  The church was already in a state of disrepair when Vasco da Gama and his men spent the night before their voyage of discovery in 1497, praying.

King Manuel 1 sought a dispensation from the Vatican to construct a monastery on the site, and building began in 1501.  Completion was to take 100 years.  The elaborate style of architecture, involving knots, anchors and all things maritime, came to be known as Manueline, the work originally being funded by the spice trade.  Manuel chose the Order of St. Jerome, known as Hieronymites, to occupy the monastery, tasking them with praying for his eternal soul.  It was to be a final resting place for him and his successors.  The religious order was not dissolved until 1833.

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The first room that you enter is the monk’s dining hall.  Fortunately I can simply share a few azulejos, as Becky presents you with all the details in 500 years old this year.  You will be wowed!  I walk through the cloisters agape.  There is nowhere I can look that doesn’t delight me.  When I’ve almost looked my fill, I mount the stairs to look down on the courtyard.

An incredible moment arises at the top of the stairs.  You step into a chamber arching high above you.  As you perceive the body of Christ on the cross and the stained glass Madonna, you notice people gathered at a stone balustrade.  Stepping forward your eyes light up!  You are looking down into the body of the church.

Back into daylight,  the gargoyles and faces, intricate knots and flowers combine to seduce.

Until finally my mission is accomplished and, with sensory overload, it’s time to leave.  The monastery was secularised and handed over to a charitable institution in 1833.  The many twists and turns since then can be read on the monastery website.

It’s that time of year and the Weekly Photo Challenge suggests that you might want to share your 2017 Favorites.  For me the last post that I wrote is invariably my favourite, but I do have one particular image that sings out to me from this post.  I wonder if you can guess which it is?  It simply remains to wish you all a blessed Christmas, and good health and happiness in the New Year.

85 comments

  3. Magnificent place, Jo. You saved the best for last. Incredible that nobody lived long enough to see through the whole building process from beginning to end. Your favorite photo in this post? Well, I don’t see any water anywhere, so this is a toughy…. Maybe the one looking down into the church? Or, one of the outside architecture with blue sky? Mine is the last one; part of the monastery seen through the arches. Happy Holidays!!

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    1. I like that last one a lot, Liesbet, but there’s a fountain shot that I think is more interesting than my norm. The whole place is incredible. Thanks for your support over the year, darlin, and very best wishes for 2018. 🙂 🙂

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  5. Oh this is glorious, stunning photos. Can’t possibly decide which is your favourite but like Jude I suspect one of those lions.

    So glad you loved it as much as i did, you do though come out feeling somewhat overwhelmed.

    Thank you so much for the link xx

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  7. It’s a beautiful building Joanne. I don’t think I have that many photos of the Monastery, but the last time I went inside was quite a few years ago when I still didn’t blog and didn’t take as many photos as now. Time for another visit …
    Have a wonderful Christmas.

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  8. Pingback: Not the 2017 Favourite – Just a Corner of my World (Leftover 1) – What's (in) the picture?

  10. All your photos are lovely but if I had to pick one as a favourite I’d have to say the first one. The contrast between the intense blue sky and the white walls is stunning. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and the best new year ever. Carol

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  13. A lovely visit with you, and you have photographed lots of lovely little details which I like. Hard to say which is your favourite – I looked very hard to see if I could find a boat knowing your love of the maritime – could it be the lions? the cloisters with that slanted light? the inside of the church with your magnificent grand shot? Or my favourite, the octopus? (Well I think it is an octopus). All delightful Jo. Thank you 🙂

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  17. Beautiful monastery and what a great post Jo, definitely a sensory overload with all of your gorgeous pics. Hard to pic a favourite. Have a wonderful Christmas and all the best for 2018. Hugs xo 🙂

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      1. Gawping and coffee with James sound good. I’ve run out of shoppingness, though not quite organised. Much Wenlock will have to provide all the missing bits. It probably will. All the very best to you and yours.

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  20. Such a beautiful monastery. It’s hard to guess which photo is your favourite; perhaps the first or the last. My favourite is the ‘middle’ one, where you are peering from the shaded monastery into the partially sunlit courtyard. There’s a soft, sweet mystery to that one.

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    2. Just popped back to tell you that my favourite is the odd looking lion fountain with the lady photographer crouched in the background. I love the shadows and I just find the whole thing pleasing to the eye. Merry Christmas, hon! 🙂 🙂

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