My fondness and appreciation for magnificent architecture has gone above and beyond since moving to England.
I’ve always been fascinated by interior decor but I really cannot help but fall in love with the design of buildings and edifices here in Europe. Those feelings of being in awe and in absolute admiration emerged during a recent journey in Portugal. In Lisbon, I discovered one of the most exquisite churches I’ve ever seen in my life at Jerónimos Monastery. A friend once told me that one of the finest cloisters that I’ve got to see is located here, in this Late Gothic Manueline style architecture. Upon witnessing it first hand, it certainly did not disappoint.
Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, can be found near the shores of Belém in Portugal. Realizing the weather in Lisbon is quite similar to Los Angeles, I found myself walking around this rewarding harbor city on a bright and clear day. Coming from England on this trip, I found it cool and refreshing. I started the day by attending the most beautiful service at the Church of Santa Maria in the south side of Mosteiro dos Jeronimos. It was such a thrilling feeling entering the ornate Manueline south portal by João de Castilho and discovering a wealth of gables and pinnacles with countless carved figures standing beneath a baldachin in engraved niches, around a statue of Henry the Navigator, erected on a pedestal amongst the double doors. The Madonna (Santa Maria de Belém) is positioned on a podium principal to the archivolt, surmounted by the archangel Michael, while over the portal there is a cross of the Order of Christ. The entrance is harmoniously flanked on each side by a large window with richly decorated moldings. Feeling blessed to have properly arrived; I sat down for a minute and just marveled at the sublimity of it all.
Style Details
Dress | TOPSHOP
Clutch Bag | JIMMY CHOO
Sandals | GUCCI
Sunglasses | CÉLINE
Apparently, this church began construction during the Middle Ages, which took 100 years to finish. The thing about historical churches, I feel, is that it is truthfully mind-blowing to know just how many lives have walked through the same aisles and halls as I did. It is sincerely life changing to comprehend that in this very same dwelling place, past people has been consoled, wonderful prayers have been answered and individual lives were transcendently transformed. The quiet, unassuming atmosphere here was certainly a witness to that.
The Jerónimos Monastery Cloister, as I mentioned earlier, is a spectacle! I’ve been to a few here in England and nothing, at the moment, can surpass what I perceived here. What was surreal for me was realizing that in its illustriousness, it remains unpretentious. Reassuring, calming and soothing are the only words I have to describe this place.
Nearby, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, whose ruin uniquely lies surrounded by water and secluded in the riverbank, intrigued me as I wandered the town. The 16th century Torre de Belem, part of the Seven Wonders of Portugal, is one-of-a-kind and captivating as it features influences of Moorish architecture designed as a defense system constructed on a little island in the Tagus River close to the Lisbon shore.
A little trivia that I learned on my visit here was that 18th century monks at Jerónimos Monastery were actually the original inventors of the famous pastel de nata, the most legendary of Portuguese pastries. They later sold it to the present day owners of Lisbon’s well-known Pastéis de Belém. Make sure to stop by there if you’re in the area… expect a line as well.
Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, Torre de Belém and Pastéis de Belém. These three places will fill your body, mind and soul to the brim. What a treat Lisbon is!
MUST-SEE LISBON ATTRACTIONS:
Jerónimos Monastery or Hieronymites Monastery | Praça do Império 1400-206 Lisboa, Portugal
Belém Tower | Avenida Brasília, 1400-038 Lisboa, Portugal
Museu Colecção Berardo | Praça do Império, 1449-003 Lisboa, Portugal
Pastéis de Belém | Rua Belém 84-92, 1300-085 Lisboa, Portugal
