Inside Jerónimos Monastery

The Monastery of Santa Maria de Belém, built at the order of King Manuel, was the most significant royal work of a religious nature built in Lisbon. Donated to the friars of the Order of Saint Jerome, the complex was intended to house not just the monastic unit, but also the royal pantheon, replacing Batalha Monastery in this function. With this initiative, the monarch aimed to glorify his reign, legitimising the dynastic line that began with him.

The first campaign of works, started in 1501 or 1502, was carried out under Diogo de Boitaca (c. 1460-1528), an artist strongly linked to the late Gothic style, who was also responsible for the original plan of the complex. He was replaced in 1516 by João de Castilho (1470 - c.1552), a master architect from Biscay, who introduced several changes in the project for the church and developed other sections from scratch.