Portugal 2024: Lisbon - Belém - Monastery, Monuments, Museums

Located by the Tagus River about 5km west of Lisbon’s city centre, Belém is a historic area known for its role during Portugal’s Age of Discoveries when explorers like Vasco da Gama set sail towards India and other foreign locations.  Today, many landmarks and cultural institutions can be found in this district.

We started our day at Fábrica de Pastéis de Belém, the famous pastry shop where the pastéis de nata (egg custard tart) has been sold since 1837.  The nata was invented by monks at Jerónimos Monastery prior to the 18th Century when they needed to find use for excess egg yolks after using egg whites to starch clothes.  The original recipe for the nata, which consists of a buttery pastry shell filled with a creamy egg custard that is caramelized on top, was kept secret until the Liberal Revolution dissolved religious orders.  The monks eventually sold their recipe and the new owners opened this bakery, which is still the only location using the original recipe.  As a result, Fábrica de Pastéis de Belém has become quite the tourist attraction.  Knowing that it gets really busy later in the day, we arrived at the bakery just as it opened and were shown to a table without needing to wait.  For breakfast, we ordered a nata and coffee for each of us and shared a duck and spinach pie.  The shop is covered with azulejo tiles and has historic photos on the walls detailing the production of natas.  We had eaten natas in Porto, Sintra and elsewhere in Lisbon, but it was a special treat to sample them in the historic location where they were first sold.

Our next stop was the Jerónimos Monastery which also has the reputation of being extremely busy with long lineups.  As usual in these situations, we pre-purchased the earliest entry ticket and arrived 20 minutes before that time to join what felt like an already lengthy line.  We would realize later that this was a relatively short line since by the time we left, the lineup was multitudes longer, stretching down the entire length of the monastery and around the corner at the end of the street.  The monastery stretches over 300 meters long and is comprised of a large two-story cloister, a Chapter House (Meeting Place), Refectory (Dining Hall), Library (for studying manuscripts), Funerary Chambers containing tombs for royalty and national figures, and two museums (National Archaeological Museum and Maritime Museum) which have taken over the West Wing. At the time of our visit, we did not know about the museums and missed them entirely.  But given the packed itinerary of our day in Belém, we probably would have skipped them anyways as we had many other sites to get to.

Jerónimos Monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was commissioned by King Manuel I in 1496 to commemorate the exploration of India by Vasco da Gama.  Built with golden limestone and designed in Gothic-Manueline style, the façade features ornate detailing and maritime motifs common to Manueline architecture including ropes, seashells, sea creatures, botanical forms and armillary spheres reflecting Portugal’s seafaring heritage, but also Gothic influences including a large rose window, pointed arches, ribbed vaults, gargoyles and Christian crosses.  We joined the lineup to enter the Cloisters which would also give us access to some of the other rooms. At the entrance, we passed many sculptures including one of a kneeling Queen Maria of Aragón by French sculptor Nicolau Chanterene.  Following a marked path, visitors are led up a flight of stairs to first view the upper cloister before descending to the lower portion. At the top of the staircase is an ornate ceiling and on the wall is an 18th Century Arms of the Order of St. Jerome, a gilded woodcarving that features the coat of arms of Portugal on the left, a lion (symbol of St. Jerome) on the right and a mitre hat at the top as well as a painting of St. Jerome.

The two-storied cloister was a fine example of Manueline and Spanish Plateresque design with lace-like stonework, a double arcade (succession of arches) and columns decorated with intricate carvings of nature and nautical motifs.  From the upper cloister, there is a nice view of the central courtyard and we spotted various carvings of faces, statues and coats of arms high up on the outer walls.  We could also examine the ornate Manueline carvings adoring the rounded arches up close.

The lower cloisters featured hallways with high-vaulted ceilings that would lead to monastic rooms including the Refectory, Chapter Room and rooms containing tombs of noted figures.  We found carvings of mythical or fantastical creatures on the walls and columns, and a stone fountain with a lion sculpture (symbol of St. Jerome) that was used by the monks to wash their hands before entering the dining area.

On display in one of the rooms of the Monastery was the tomb of Alexandre Herculano (1810-1877), a writer, poet and historian credited with introducing Romanticism and the Historical Novel to Portugal. A liberal thinker and political figure, Herculano participated in the movement against absolute monarchy and reflected his views in his writing.  Interestingly, his elaborate, Neo-Gothic tomb designed in 1887 was simplified in 1940 to ensure that it was not more impressive than the tombs of those considered more important, including Luís de Camões and Vasco da Gama whose tombs are in the Church of Santa Maria.  The Chapter Room is a grand hall originally used by monks to gather and discuss community matters.  It has a huge star-shaped vaulted ceiling, elaborate stonework, stained glass windows and 16th century frescos depicting scenes from the life of St. Jerome.  The Refectory has beautiful 17th and 18th Century azulejo tiles depicting biblical scenes including “The Miracle of Bread and Fish” and episodes from the life of Joseph in Egypt.

Exiting the Cloisters of Jerónimos Monastery, we walked to the adjoining Church of Santa Maria de Belém and had to wait briefly in a new lineup to enter.  The Church is free to access and is not part of the Monastery admission ticket.  Completed in 1541 in the Gothic Manueline style, like the Monastery, the church is known for the elaborate stone carvings on its façade with a 32-metre entrance adorned with almost 40 statues.  The central figure at the top of the arch is the Virgin Mary, patron saint of seafarers, holding a cup with gifts from the Magi.  Above her is the Archangel Michael, the guardian angel of Portugal, overseeing the entrance and the church.  Below her is the statue of Henry the Navigator depicted as a knight in armour, in honour of his role in Portuguese Discoveries.  Flanking the central portal are the statues of the 12 apostles, prophets and other saints.  Friezes in half-relief above the doors depict scenes from the life of Saint Jerome.  Above the friezes are the coats of arms of King Manuel I and of Portugal as well as the armillary sphere, symbolizing Portugal’s Age of Discovery.  This impressive work is considered a masterpiece of Manueline design.

The interior of the church is laid out like a Latin cross with three aisles or naves of equal height under a single expansive ribbed vault ceiling supported by six ornate, sculpted columns, creating a huge open space with the feeling of grandeur. Religious paintings adorn the back of the altar and beautiful stained-glass windows let in light from the sides.  A pipe organ sits to the right of the altar.

Royal tombs can be found on either side of the main chapel including the sarcophaguses of King Manuel I and his wife Maria of Aragon, which are supported by marble elephants.  Other notable tombs in the church include those for explorer Vasco da Gama and writer Luís de Camões. They are indeed more elaborately decorated than the tomb of Herculano that we saw in the monastery.

In retrospect and despite the hype, were we to plan this trip again, we would have skipped the not-insignificant expense and long lineups to visit the cloisters and museums of Jerónimos Monastery and just head to this Church to view the amazing sculptures on the façade and see the cool tombs.

Leaving the monastery, we walked west across Av. Brasilia passing a stretch of street art murals including a long, multi-paneled work depicting the celebration over the triumph of the Carnation Revolution of April 25, 1974.  We had spotted other street art works in Belém including a tile work attributed to the design studio Pedrita titled “Muscovy Duck” that was installed in 2012 and consisted of 559 pieces of colourful tiles from a variety of factories.  The contemporary artist Robert Panda added one of his signature humanoid forms from his “The Stupids” series, resulting in a pot-belled pink form sitting on top of the wall over the tile art.  The juxtaposition makes for a humorous sight when spotted at the end of a narrow street.  We also found yet another piece by street artist Bordalo II—this one titled “Half Fox” similar to the “Half Rabbit” we saw in Porto.  We would see one more near the contemporary art museum that we were headed to later in the day.

At the west end of Av. Brasilia, we crossed a small pedestrian bridge which led us to the waterfront area of Belém.  Our first stop was the Belém Tower Garden where we would check out the eponymous tower.  Also known as the Tower of Saint Vincent, the 4-story, 30-meters-tall Belém Tower is a 16th Century fortification located on the north bank of the Tagus River.  It was built to defend Lisbon from enemy ships and served as a ceremonial gateway to the city.  Later it was used as a customs post, a telegraph station, a lighthouse, and even a state prison.  Designed in the Manueline style with elements of Gothic, Renaissance and Moorish influences, the tower and its bastion are decorated with maritime motifs such as ropes, armillary spheres and a rhinoceros carving.  While we settled for viewing the tower from the garden, it is possible to tour the interior including the basement, various Halls and the terrace with battlements.  Walking across the garden, we admired a stainless-steel life-sized replica of the Fairey III biplane, used by Portuguese aviators for the first aerial crossing of the South Atlantic.  Continuing towards the Discovery Monument, we found the Belém Lighthouse, a non-functional decorative structure created as a tourist attraction to reflect on the area’s maritime heritage.

The Monument to the Discoveries is a gigantic and truly monumental work of art that was created in 1939 by architect José Ângelo Cottinelli Telmo and sculptor Leopoldo de Almeida as a temporary structure for the Portuguese World Exhibition in 1940, celebrating Portugal’s Age of Discovery.  Between 1958-1960, a permanent version was recreated to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Prince Henry the Navigator who championed Portuguese exploration of foreign lands.  The monument is 170 feet tall, made of concrete and rose-tinted stone shaped to resemble the prow of a “carvel”, the small Portuguese sailing ship used during the Age of Discovery.  From both sides of the monument, limestone statues mount the prow, headed by Henry the Navigator.  Behind him are 32 other figures representing explorers, noblemen, military men, monarchs, cartographers, scientists and missionaries.  Of note are sculptures of explorers Vasco de Gama, Pedro Álvares Cabral, and Ferdinand Magellan.  Visitors can pay to access an observation deck towards the top of the monument.

The wavy tile pattern covering the plaza in front of Monument of Discoveries is similar to ones we have seen in other squares throughout Lisbon and references Portugal’s maritime history.  At the base of the monument is a large marble mosaic which was a gift from South Africa.  Measuring 50 metres in diameter, the tilework depicts a compass mapping out the routes of Portuguese explorers across the globe.

Housed in the Centro Cultural de Belém (CCB) building, the rebranded Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC-CCB) opened in 2023.  It replaced the Berardo Collection Museum which operated since 2007 on the same site with over 1000 works from the 20th and 21st centuries from the collection of Portuguese businessman José Berardo, whose Art Deco Museum we saw a few days prior.  The Museum of Contemporary Art expanded its scope by including works from other collections as well as acquiring new art pieces, making it a major cultural institution dedicated to modern and contemporary art.  Several sculptures are found in the garden outside of the museum including Henry Moore’s bronze “Reclining Figure, Arched Leg” (1969) and Niki de Saint-Phalle’s “Les Baigneuses” (The Bathers – 1985) made from vibrantly painted polyester resin.  On the side of a nearby building, we saw our last Bordalo II work, this one called “Big Racoon”. 

The first work that we encountered as we walked into the museum was Stephan Balkenhol’s  installation titled “Angel, Devil, World” (1994) consisting of three sculptures made from painted wood representing the three elements in the title.  The work is meant to explore “archetypes and everyday humanity”, representing the dichotomies of good, evil and the human condition.  Highlights from the original Berardo collection include Salvador Dali’s “White Aphrodisiac Telephone” (1936) with a handset shaped like a lobster, Andy Warhol’s painting of Judy Garland (1979) and Picasso’s “Femme dans un Fauteuil” (woman in an armchair 1929).  This work of Picasso’s was compared to Louise Bourgeois’ Cell XXV (View of the World from a Jealous Wife – 2001) since both deal with feelings of jealousy and emotional tension.  Bourgeois’ sculptural installation depicts a cage that holds two headless mannequins.  One wearing a white dress is positioned above two large marble balls which together are arranged as a visual pun to a man’s penis, invoking the theme of sexual betrayal.  The green dress (depicting envy or jealousy) represents the betrayed party.  The piece is autobiographical reflecting the Bourgeois’ father’s infidelities and her mother’s suffering.  A partial blue blouse hanging above the mannequins could represent Louise herself as a child.

One of the most important and influential works in the collection is Spanish artist Juan Genovés's “El Abrazo” (The Embrace – 1976), an acrylic on canvas painting in Expressive Photorealism style that depicts a group of people celebrating the death of Franco after 40 years of dictatorship and oppression.  Interestingly depicted from the back so no faces are shown, the image came to represent Spain’s transition into democracy and reconciliation of the Spanish people after Franco’s death.  There were many fun and funky pop art works including Roy Lichtenstein’s “Interior with Restful Paintings” (1991), one of his comic book-inspired paintings using “Ben-Day dots” to mimic the look of mass-produced commercial printing.  Tom Wesselman’s “Great American Nude #52” (1963) is one of a series of 100 collage-like works that blend sensual depictions of the female nude with images of pop culture, art history and American consumerism.  His #52, made from paint and fabric on plywood, includes cutouts of a couple that could have come out of the TV show “Mad Men” standing in front of a reclining nude whose image is cut off just above her neck and below her knees, rendering the nude de-personalized and abstract.  “Mel Ramos’ Virnaburger” (1965) depicts Italian actress Virna Lisi sitting nude with her legs crossed on top of a hamburger.  The work exemplifies Ramos’ signature style of combining erotic pin-up imagery with commercial products.  American painter Peter Saul’s “Ducks in Bed” (1964) was typical of his colourful, cartoonish and often satirical works that blended Pop Art, Surrealism and Expressionism, often featuring comic book or cartoon characters including ducks, which were a common motif.  Despite its title, you have to look carefully at this piece to find the ducks, let alone the bed!

MAC-CCB has a whimsical and eclectic collection of sculptural art from the 1960s and 70s starting with Claes Oldenburgh’s “Soft light switches - Ghost Version” (1963) where he continues his tradition of creating enormous versions of everyday objects.  Lucas Samaras’ “Shoe Box” (1965) features a shoe stuffed with tangled steel pins sitting on top of a box decorated with multi-coloured yarn with cloud-like tuffs of cotton emerging from the open lid.  His mixed media “Boxes” are reminiscent of Pandora’s box, mixing sharp and soft materials to create a visual and tactile contrast, while “creating a tension of allure and danger.”  Niki de Saint-Phalle’s “La Mariée” (1963) explores and satirizes feminism and traditional roles pre-assigned to women in society.  Painted all in grey, a grim-faced giant doll is dressed in a wedding gown made up of plastic toys, dolls, artificial flowers and trinkets, subverting the idealized image of a bride.  César Baldaccini’s polished and patinated bronze sculpture “Expansion Valise” (1970) depicts an open suitcase with its contents liquified and spilling out from both sides.  His “Expansion” series explores the properties of industrial materials and challenges the boundaries of sculptural form.  Finally, George Segal’s life-sized installation “Flesh Nude Behind Brown Door” (1978), made of painted plaster, wood, and painted metal, features a female nude standing in front of a doorway that is slightly ajar, creating a narrative tension and sense of voyeurism.  You need to walk around the piece to see the full effect.

While we saw paintings hung on the walls and sculptures positioned on the ground, many of Pop Art works were a mixture where the art hung on the wall expanded beyond the framed scope of a regular painting or drawing.  Peter Phillips’ AutoKUSTOMotive (1964) is an oil on canvas piece with inserted panels that allow the front end of a colourful automobile to protrude beyond the two-dimensional space.  This work is an example of Phillips’ fascination with American custom car culture, industrial design and commercial aesthetics. The middle of the title (KUSTOM) is a play on the word “custom”.  Similarly, Allen Jones’ “La Sheer” (1968) refers to a disembodied pair of legs seductively wearing sheer nylons and stilettos, ascending a flight of green and white checkered steps that extend outward beyond the canvas.  Raymond Hains’ “Seita” (1970) is part of a series works made from mixed media on wood that depict matchbooks with a varying number of matches used up.  Seita refers to a French company producing tobacco and matches.  The large-scale matches harken to works of Claes Oldenburg and deal with consumerism and packaging.  French artist Martial Raysse’s “Bel été concentré” (Beautiful, concentrated summer - 1967) consists of an androgynous figure (possibly a self-portrait) created as a silk-screen on vinyl surrounded by an acrylic box.  The figure is dressed in contemporary attire with a green tie, blazer and slacks, exploring the tension between commercial imagery and personal identity.  The artist’s name is emblazoned with at the top and from afar, it appears like the figure is in a phone booth.

Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology (MAAT) offers an interesting mix of art, architecture, and technology, with exhibitions by contemporary artists, architects, and thinkers.  It consists of two buildings—an early 20th century Modernist Industrial building and an ultra-modern space-aged 21st century one.  Sitting side by side on a boardwalk area connected by a landscaped park called “MAAT Garden”, the two buildings provide stark contrast with one another.  Facing the Tagus River, you can get stunning views of the April 25th Bridge and the Cristo Rei sculpture in Cacilhas.  The museum was open in 2016 once construction of the newer building was completed.

Known as Centro Tejo, the older building was a former power station built in 1908 and supplied electricity to Lisbon until it was decommissioned in 1975.  It then served as the Museum of Electricity since 1990 before reopening in 2016 to become part of MAAT and is dubbed “MAAT Central”.  Today it houses the museum’s permanent exhibits, highlighted by the “Electricity Factory” which explores the history and technology of electricity in Lisbon including original machinery and industrial displays.  Rotating temporary exhibits are also held in this building, such as "The World of Charles and Ray Eames" which was the inaugural exhibition showcasing the work and legacy of these pioneers of modern architecture.

The new building (MAAT Gallery) was designed by Amanda Levete Architects and resembles the Starship Enterprise from afar.  It features a distinctive white ceramic-tiled façade, an overhanging roof that reflects sunlight into the main gallery, panoramic rooftop and public spaces that engage with the riverfront environment.  Ramps and stairs rise from each side of the building’s central arch, leading to the roof and acting as viewing platforms for its stunning surroundings.  The MAAT Gallery is dedicated to rotating, temporary exhibitions, installations, cultural programing and events, showcasing contemporary art, architecture, and technology from both Portuguese and international artists.  Unfortunately, it was late in the day and we did not have enough time to explore the Museum itself, but it was fun walking around outside and admiring the architecture.

There were so many eclectic sights to see and experiences to have in Belém that we could not get to them all in a day and had to make some tough choices.  If we had more time or if it was not so far to get to that we pop back briefly on another day, we would have spent more time going into or up some of the towers and monuments and museums.  The Coach Museum, Popular (Folk Art) Museum as well as the Maritime and Archaeological Museums inside the Jerónimos Monastery did not make the cut. But all in all, we were happy with the choices that we did make and enjoyed our visit here immensely.