Jerónimos Monastery

Built in the early 1500s to commerate Vasco de Gama's journey to India, the Jerónimos Monastery is just incredible and is an absolute “must-see” in Lisbon.

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​A UNESCO site, this monastery was built in 1502 to commemorate Vasco de Gama’s first journey to India. It's one of the most prominent examples of the late Portuguese Gothic Manueline style of architecture in Lisbon. 

Tickets – The church is free to enter, but you need to purchase tickets to visit the cloister, which we recommend. Entry is free on the first Sunday of every month. Book skip-the-line tickets as there is likely to be a queue.

I hope you enjoy the slide shows of my photos from my visit.

The cloisters have incredible detail, each column differently carved with coils of rope, sea monsters, coral, and other sea motifs. It symbolizes a time of world exploration at sea. 

Chapter House where you can find the tomb of Alexandre Herculano. 

Refectory

You can also find the tomb of Fernando Pessoa, Portuguese poet, writer, literary critic, translator, publisher and philosopher.  He's described as one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th century.

Within the monastery is the church of Santa Maria, a spacious church with high, intricate columns and a beautiful vaulted ceiling.

In 1880 the remains of Vasco da Gama and the poet, Luís de Camões, were transferred to the Jerónimos Monastery church. 

Vasco da Gama and Luís de Camões  were the two most important figureheads of the Portuguese Age of Discovery. 

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