Atlantic Will


Jeronimos Monastery

The monastery of Santa Maria de Belen, better known as the monastery of Jerónimos, is a Portuguese monastery built at the end of the 15th century by King D. Manuel I was brought to the Order of St. Jerome. It is located in Belen Parish, in the city and municipality of Lisbon. Since 2016, he has had the status of the Nachon Pantheon.
The culmination of Manuelin architecture, this monastery is the most remarkable Portuguese monastic ensemble of its time and one of the main church salons in Europe. Its construction began in the early 16th century and lasted a hundred years, under the leadership of which he led a wonderful set of architects/masters of works (the defining role of João de Castilla is given).
The monastery of Eronimos has been classified as a national monument since 1907, and in 1983 it was classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site along with the Belém Tower. On July 7, 2007, it was elected one of the seven wonders of Portugal. Closely related to the Portuguese Royal House and the epic of discoveries, the monastery of Geronimos was "interiorised as one of the symbols of the nation" from an early age.
Today it is one of the most important tourist attractions in Portugal.

Restelo, an area near Lisbon where the future monastery of Geronimous will be deployed, was originally a small village on the banks of the Tagus River. It grew under the impetus of maritime trade and maritime production, which would be of great strategic and logistical importance for the protection of Portuguese sea routes, and then became a major commercial port and refuge for sailors.
The building was built of limestone (lyose) extracted from the quarries near the implantation site. The greatness of the enterprise and the wealth of performance extended the work for a hundred years, in successive construction work, which were responsible as responsible masters of Diogo de Boitaki (the first architect at the head of the works), João de Castilla, Diogo de Torralva and, finally, Jerónimo de Rouen. The monastery of Hieronos, designated as the culmination of Manuelian architecture, combines architectural elements of final Gothic and the Renaissance, linking royal, Christological and naturalistic symbols with them, which makes it unique.

Built over two years (1517, 1518) by João de Castillo and his officers, the Southern Portal is one of the richest works of Portuguese architecture of late Gothic. Its structure reaches 32 metres high and more than 12 metres wide, presenting itself as a real "gate of Christianity" of triumphal characteristics. Authorship cannot be attributed to one artist. João de Castillo was responsible for global design and had a large team of 200 performers (imaginators, masons, equipment designers, decorators, etc.) with more or less responsibility in the final definition of the work. Among the most famous names are Diogo de Castillo, André Pilarte, Juan de la Faya or Mahim.

Although it is smaller than the Southern Portal, it is the main gate of the monastery of Eronimush, which occupies a border position to the main altar. It was to be designed first by Diog de Boitaka and then by João de Castilla, which can be derived from the Gothic nature of the Spanish-Flamic features of architectural elements. It was made by Nicolau Chanteren and his company when the hand of the French master dictated a significant stylistic excess with the introduction of Renaissance classicism motives.
The upper part of the portal is occupied by three niches with scenes from the birth of Christ: The Annunciation, Christmas and the Adoration of the Magi. In the side areas, among the representations of saints and figures of the apostolic, there are prayer statues of the founding kings with their respective insignia and patrons: on the left side of D. Manuel I and St. Jerome; on the right side Queen D. Mary and St. John the Baptist.

The church has a Latin cross-plan consisting of three naves of the same height (church in the Kur Hall), covered with an extensive vault of polynervada, supported by six columns. Cruzeiro's arch covers 30 metres wide without intermediate supports, which is "the most complete realisation of the late Middle Ages ambitions to cover as much span as possible with a minimum number of supports" (Kubler). The abundance of ornaments reaches its peak in this huge space.
The monastery is located at Praça do Império 1400-206 Lisboa