A "JEWEL" IN ARCHITECTURE
The masterpiece of the Jerónimos Monastery has always been an inspiration for its magnificent architecture full of beautiful details. When standing in front the Jerónimos we are fascinated by the beautiful tall, elegant windows, by the South Gate or by the incredible detailed stone filigree ornamentation. We are passionate about Architecture, particularly about magical architecture, and we share with you our architectural view about the Jerónimos Monastery and its unique characteristics.
When describing the exterior of the Jerónimos, all eyes are focused on the South Portal, the South Façade and in the West Gate entrance, which present several references to the History of Portugal, transforming the Jerónimos Monastery in a true landmark in the identity of Portugal. Jerónimos represents the mastery of all the artists, artisans, sculptors, architects, engineers, constructors and all the workers who were connected, directly or indirectly, to its construction. The Jerónimos Monastery represents the unity between different Cultures, because it was built by many nationalities, who had only one purpose, which was to transform this construction into a masterpiece in architecture. It’s a Monument with local and global characteristics, in architectural, religious, social and economic terms. The Jerónimos Monastery is a true “Jewel” in World Architecture.
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ARCHITECTURE AND HISTORY
History – In the 16th century, on the same location where today stands the Jerónimos Monastery, once stood a small Church known as the Church of Santa Maria de Belém, with the Restelo small village nearby. At that time, the shoreline was much closer to this Church, than it is today, and, so, the ships coming from distant places anchored very near this location. It was on this small Church that Vasco da Gama, Pedro Álvares Cabral and other navigators would pray, just before they went into high seas, across their many journeys to the Far East and into the World. The Jerónimos Monastery became the spiritual refuge for navigators and sailors that would depart from these shores to discover the World. The Jerónimos Monastery was partially funded by the Maritime Silk and Spice Road, during the Portuguese Maritime Expansion. All trade coming from Africa and the Far East would contribute directly or indirectly for its construction. In 1907, the Jerónimos Monastery was declared a National Monument, and in 1983, was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Architecture – In the Jerónimos Monastery, the armillary sphere, the Portuguese shield, and the Cross of Christ are present in many architectural details. The Plateresque style gives the Jerónimos an Iberian dimension, where the ground floor has a clear Manueline influence, and on the first floor there is a Renaissance style, with royal, religious and naturalist symbols. On the first floor, we can see impressive mythological figures in several elements of the plateau and arcade, that transport us into another world.
The Manueline-style had the main purpose to glorify the Portuguese Maritime Expansion with the representation of several elements connected to the “Discoveries”, and the Armillary Sphere was one of its most important symbols, reuniting the earthly and spiritual roles of the Portuguese Expansion to the Far East, and the World. The Armillary Sphere was a spherical astrolabe, with a set of spherical rings and Earth would be on its centre. These architectural representations would also include rope segments or anchors from the ships, sea motifs, such as coral reefs, mermaids or sea monsters, and naturalist elements, such as tree leaves, pinecones, artichokes and seaweeds, all allusive to those times of sea exploration and related to the discovery of the World, in the 16th century.
The Manueline architectural-style with these mentioned motifs carved in limestone, as if they were stone-filigree, can be seen in many details of the Jerónimos Monastery, such as the South Façade, the columns and interior façade in the Cloister area, and many more, with a clear enthusiasm about the shapes and a strong naturalist-symbolic interpretation of original, erudite, and traditional themes.
The South Portal is a masterpiece of the late-Gothic-style, with the statue of Saint Michael Archangel standing on top of its 32 meters in height, as the guardian-angel of all the images here represented, with a clear hierarchy. On its centre, stands the most important image of all the Portal – Our Holy Lady with baby Jesus – and she holds on her left hand a cup with the offerings that came from the Holy Priests. On a lower level, stands Infante D. Henrique, in the centre of its entrance, at the same level as the Apostles, with a great symbolic meaning.
Jerónimos Monastery original plan followed the typical Monastic House organization, which included the Church, the Cloister, the Library, the Dormitory, the Refectory and all the supporting areas. The plan we see today is very similar to the original one, but also witnesses the many changes it went through, with the passing of time. Inside the Jerónimos Monastery, the Church of Santa Maria of Belém has a Latin-Cross plan and is considered to be one of the most important “Church-Hall”, in Europe. The intellectual order of the Church can be seen with several scenes from the life of S. Jeronimo. It has a rich and complex ribbed ceiling almost at the same level, supported by elegant columns, and these are topped by elements that remind us of the palm-trees. The Church communicates with the Cloister through 12 doors, representing the 12 Apostles, where once were the confessionals. The Jerónimos Cloister is the first two-levelled vaulted ceiling cloister, in Portugal.
THE POPE’S ELEPHANT
The Pope’s Elephant – The Jerónimos Monastery has many stories and secrets to unfold, and we share with you one of them. Inside the Church of Santa Maria de Belém there are several tombs, each supported by two elephants, which is quite curious. There is a story related to this fact, and this story connects the King of Portugal, D. Manuel I, with the Pope Leo X, in the 16th century. In those times, it was a tradition to congratulate the Pope with some offerings after his election, and soon after the Pope was elected, in 1513, the King of Portugal wanted to stand out from the rest with a special offering coming from the Portuguese Maritime Expansion. So, the King of Portugal decided to offer a white elephant, among other treasures to receive the Pope’s blessing on the Portuguese Maritime Route of Silk and Spices. In the winter of 1514, Hanno, the elephant arrived in Rome coming all the way from Cochin, India, through Portugal, and amazed everybody in Italy upon his arrival, who had never seen such a curious animal. It was a huge success! Everybody wanted to get a glimpse of Hanno, the elephant. Two years after the arrival of Hanno to Rome, the elephant died, and was the subject of several tributes. Some of those tributes included the writing of a paean in his homage and a drawing about Hanno, the elephant, by the known Italian artist Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino. In 1962, the remains of Hanno, the elephant, were discovered underneath the Vatican’s Belvedere Courtyard, just in the centre of the Vatican complex. Only in 1997, this fact was related to the story about the Pope’s Elephant, by Silvio Bedini, as a result of several years of investigation. The Hanno elephant symbolized the Portuguese presence in the East and was an animal that in Eastern culture was connected to Wisdom and Longevity.
