The Monastery of the Hieronymites is situated close to the Tagus River in the Belém District of Lisbon in Portugal. The monastery is historically associated with the early Portuguese seafarers and explorers. The construction of the monastery was ordered by King Manuel I to serve as the final resting place for members of the Royal Family and as a church for seafarers and explorers. The construction started in 1501. The monastery was built on the site of a hermitage founded by Prince Henry the Navigator, where Vasco da Gama spent the night before he departed on his first expedition to India in 1497. The monastery was completed in 1601. The monastery is the most impressive symbol of the power and wealth of Portugal during the Age of Discovery, a period from the beginning of the 15th century until the beginning of the 17th century. The Monastery of the Hieronymites is one of the great masterpieces of the Manueline style or the Portuguese Late Gothic style. The monastery is not only the final resting place for King Manuel I and his family, famous people are interred here, among them the greatest Portuguese poet Luís de Camões as well as the most famous and celebrated explorer and navigator Vasco da Gama. The Monastery of the Hieronymites is one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal. The monastery is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site: Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon. The Monastery of the Hieronymites and the Tower of Belém in Lisbon gained the status as a UNESCO World Heritage in 1983.
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Monastery of the Hieronymites in Lisbon: A fountain sculpted in the shape of a lion, situated in the lower cloisters. The monastery was dedicated to the Order of St. Jerome, the Hieronymites. The lion is the heraldic symbol of Saint Jerome. The Monastery of the Hieronymites in Lisbon is the most impressive symbol of the power and wealth of Portugal during the Age of Discovery.
