Jerónimos Monastery history: A timeless tale of architecture and culture

The monastery was built on an existing church dedicated to Santa Maria de Belém. Its purpose was to assist seafarers who passed the area and were maintained by the monks belonging to the Order of Christ. The church was inaugurated by King Manuel, with plans to expand the grounds into a monastery. In 1507, the construction of the monastery began, which would go on for 100 years. The Holy See was given the task of the construction, and they roped in architect Diogo de Boitaca to design the monastery. He used an architectural style that came to be known as Manueline.

King Manuel funded the whole project from the riches collected via taxes and spice imports. Owing to the heavy amount of funds available, the architect was given complete freedom to come up with extravagant design patterns. The key construction material used was a golden limestone called calcário de lioz. In 1517, Spaniard Juan de Castillo took over the construction and design, changing the Manueline style to Platereqsue architectural style. Silverware was added to the decorations of the monastery, along with sculptures at the main chapel and the choir. You will see a lot of Renaissance influence in architecture, which dates back to this time period.

As Spain and Portugal became one Portuguese Empire, a construction process was draining the funds from 1580. After 100 years, the Jerónimos Monastery was completed. King Philip of Spain made the monastery a royal funeral monument, allowing entry to royal members and Hieronymite monks. With the Portuguese independence in 1640, the tombs of many royal members were built within the monastery.

In 1755, an earthquake in Lisbon damaged the high choir and the balustrade. However, the damages were insignificant and were immediately repaired. During this period, painter Henrique Ferreira was commissioned to paint the Kings of Portugal that would be placed in the Sala dos Reis (Hall of the Kings). Golden tiles on the ceilings, frescoes at the staircases, and various other additions were made to the monastery.

Restoration works were completed during this time, continuing till 1860 under the supervision of Rafael Silva e Castro, Domingos Parente da Silva, and J. Colson. The Jerónimos Monastery underwent a series of remodelling during this time, where the Hall of the Kings and other areas of the monastery were demolished. The architects added Italian scenery designs, pyramid-shaped roofs, and towers. To commemorate the fourth centenary of Vasco da Gama’s visit to India, sculptor Costa Mota renovated the tombs of the explorer.

Many projects were undertaken during this time. The National Museum of Industry and Commerce was also planned, but it could not be completed. It was replaced by the Ethnological Museum of Portugal. Till 1924, Costa Mota further remodelled the monastery, along with designer Abel Manta and Ricardo Leone. Stained glass windows were added to the structure, refining the design style. President Óscar Carmona was entombed at Sala do Capítulo in the year 1951. In 1963, the Maritime Museum of Portugal was inaugurated in the west wing for people to see treasures found during naval expeditions.