The Jeronimos Monastery
Originally the home for the Hieronymite religious order, it was built by the Infante Henry the Navigator around 1459.[1] The chapel that existed there, to the invocation of Santa Maria de Belém, was serviced by monks of the military-religious Order of Christ who provided assistance to pilgrims who transited the area.[2] The small beach of Praia do Restelo was an advantageous spot, with safe anchorage and protection from the winds,sought after by the ships that entered the Tagus.[1] The Hermitage of Restelo (Portuguese: Ermida do Restelo), as it was known, was already a hermitage in disrepair, when Vasco da Gama and his men spent the night in prayer before departing on their expedition to the Orient in 1497.[1]
The Jeronimos Monastery
Originally the home for the Hieronymite religious order, it was built by the Infante Henry the Navigator around 1459.[1] The chapel that existed there, to the invocation of Santa Maria de Belém, was serviced by monks of the military-religious Order of Christ who provided assistance to pilgrims who transited the area.[2] The small beach of Praia do Restelo was an advantageous spot, with safe anchorage and protection from the winds,sought after by the ships that entered the Tagus.[1] The Hermitage of Restelo (Portuguese: Ermida do Restelo), as it was known, was already a hermitage in disrepair, when Vasco da Gama and his men spent the night in prayer before departing on their expedition to the Orient in 1497.[1]