Falling For Portugal: A Mai Tai Tom “Trip” Report

Chapter Five: Tell ‘Em We Love Belém!

Day Five: Manuel Labor, Get Here Early!, Boy Are They Strict, Tower Of Power, Navigating The Padrão dos Descobrimentos, Put Me In Coach, A Royal Ride, First PopeMobile?, Cranking Up The Heat, Please Let The Sun Go Down On Me, Gim Tônica Impecável and Revisiting Ginjinha

We got off to an early start on the day, and the tuk-tuks were already zooming near our hotel.

Uber was our choice of transportation as we headed to the Belém suburb of Lisbon. Belém is where Vasco de Gama sailed from on his famed expedition which led to a sea route to India. We had 9:30 timed reservations (the earliest) to UNESCO World Heritage site Mosteiro dos Jerónimos where da Gama’s tomb is located inside its church. It was a 15-minute Uber ride to the Monastery, and even arriving early a line was forming, with about 15 – 20 people already waiting. We could also tell this would be the hottest day we had experienced so far, and we’d had some sweltering days already.

Before joining in the queue, we checked out the South Portal which highlights the Manueline architecture. King Manuel I had it constructed on the site of a former chapel by Prince Henry the Navigator. This is the place where Vasco da Gama prayed on the evening before he set sail for India to spice up life for many, and was constructed specifically to commemorate his safe return from his voyage. It took nearly a century to complete.

On the South Portal there are statues of Henry The Navigator, Saint Jerome, the Virgin Mary and 37 other saints, not to mention the 12 apostles. On top is the statue of St. Michael, who is the protector of the monastery … and me, so it seems. With all its spectacular statues, this, however, is not the main entrance.

Shortly after entering the monastery, Tracy spied a ceiling painting featuring the Coat of Arms of Saint Jerome on the right, and on the left his symbol, the lion. A child’s face can also be seen. Many intricate paintings and tiles would be found throughout our self-guided tour.

We made our way through the open passageways of the cloisters.

The Cloisters of Mosteiro dos Jerónimos might be the most beautiful and tranquil site we have visited. It’s said that the double-layered cloisters were “unique for the era.”

Lacy ornamentations and those beautiful spires make for a very peaceful setting.

Walking up the stairs there was an even better view. Tracy ranked this up there with the rooftop of the Milan Cathedral. The cloisters were started in the early 16th century. Nautical and religious symbols abound. We spent a good amount of time admiring them from various angles.

From above, we could see the famous Lion Fountain. From portugalresident.com, “According to legend, a lion one day entered a monastery where Saint Jerome was residing, causing all the other monks to flee. However, Jerome noticed a thorn stuck in the lion’s paw and proceeded to remove it. After cleaning the wound and bandaging up the paw, the lion was forever grateful and from that day forth lived with Jerome inside the monastery.” And as I’ve said on too many occasions, “There ain’t no way to hide your lyin’ eyes.”

We walked downstairs …

… and entered the Chapterhouse.

Inside the Chapterhouse is the gigantic tomb of Alexandre Herculano, who was a Portuguese novelist, poet and historian.

Although the Chapterhouse construction started in the 1500s, completion of the vaulted ceiling and other interior portions of the monastery didn’t happen until the 19th century.

We made our way to the adjacent Refectory and some really colorful late 18th-century azulejos.

The Refectory was built in the early 1500s as a dining area for the monks with the tiles added between 1780 and 1785.

The tile panels represent different biblical stories. It’s a very beautiful room. This blue, yellow and green panel represent the life of Joseph in Egypt from the Old Testament.

We didn’t know what was behind door #1 after exiting.

Our next stop was scheduled to be the adjoining church, Santa Maria de Belém, where da Gama’s and other royal tombs are located. When we reached the entrance, we were directed outside to join the queue waiting for mass to conclude. The line was long, and the day was blistering hot and it was still early.

On the other side, the line to enter the monastery also stretched forever by this time.

We joined the line and noticed a sign stating that anyone who got out of line would not be able to rejoin it. After 15 minutes we took a chance and found a little shade (very little) nearby. It was not a happy crowd.

Finally, after a half hour, the mass of people at mass departed, and we mercifully slipped inside. By now, I was so parched I could have taken a sip of Holy Water, but Mary (no, not this one) said that’s bad form.

The first thing you notice upon entering are the humongous tree trunk columns and the stone ceiling. Impressive indeed.

The chancel contains a series of 1570s paintings situated around a silver tabernacle.