Built in the sixteenth century and home to the monks of the Order of Saint Jerome, this building is now a museum and one of the earliest entries to Europe’s list of World Heritage sites.
The building is so large that I could not get it all into one picture from the street, so a video will help you understand how much space is enclosed within the walls. Imagine, this is only the side facing the river. There is a large courtyard behind those walls.
This is how it looks from the ship in the river.
The remains of many Portuguese kings, poets and explorers like Vasco da Gama are buried here.
There monks were in charge of a secret recipe for a a very special custard tart called the Pasteis de Nata or the Pasteis de Belem. They are sold in a little pastry shop a short distance down the street from the monastery. There is always a lineup to buy them.
First a video as the bus drove by, then a slower one as I walked by.
WOW that is beautiful, I love the older monasteries and churches but it boggles my mind as to how they could build such magnificence structures back then mostly with just their hands.
Hi Martha. I think they had a lot of hands and strong backs. They were pretty good with ropes, pulleys and ramps.
Stunning photos. Portugal has been a bucket list item for me since I was young. When I would go to my Grandma’s I would often play with the neighbourhood kids and they were Portuguese, ever since then… One day
It is a great place to spend the winter if your home is in a colder part of the world.
Your trip will never happen until you put it into your calendar first🤫🤔😁
Great monastery photos!
Thanks for the comment. I have enjoyed my visits to Portugal.