The Jeronimos Monastery was built by the Portuguese King Manuel I, who was the King of Portugal during the beginning of the Portuguese Renaissance. The King paid for the monastery by taxing 5 % of all trade from Africa and Asia, selecting the Hieronymites order of monks to run the monastery. The job of the Hieronymites was to literally pray for the immortal soul of the King, all day every day. The monks did this for four centuries until they religious orders were disbanded and their lands confiscated by the state. The Jeronimos Monastery, along with the nearby tower of Belem are recognized as UNESCO world heritage sites.





There are two main parts to the Jeronimos Monastery- the church which is free, and the Cloister, which costs 10 Euro per person. Still it's worth it because the Cloisters are amazing.

Basically you pay to enter the courtyard...







Ropes, the ships wheel and globes decorate the structure.

Also many animals are present, like this Monkey fountain.

They are also used for the rain gutters.

A bird of some sort...



A baboon - I suppose they were animals found in the empire...

You can see they've seen a lot of rain...

Limestone isn't that solid, so they've had to refurbish the building a few times...

A goofy Baccus relief:

The pillars are capped by twirling shells...

With a large courtyard in the centre.

There were some cute Japanese kids playing when we were there:

You can see the spires of the church next door:

After relaxing, it's good to take a trip down to the church, which is free.

The cathedral is quite impressive, also built with the same golden-white sandstone.

Outside is the portal, built by the Spanish King Felipe, who forbid anyone but the monks or royalty from entering.



There's an impressive organ.

At the other end you can see the balcony, which is accessible when you enter the cloister (for 10 Euro/person):

Afterwards, you can go up the road and have a nice Pasteis de Belem!