Friday, December 27, 2019

#Jerónimos Monastery - Lisbon, #Portugal

One of the most beautiful places we visited in Portugal was Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon. Obviously, more than a few other people had the same idea... and this was during off season in October.


It's amazing to me that artisans could create such delicate looking arches and columns out of stone.


I'm fascinated by gargoyles, and there were hundreds in the monastery's cloister. Many of them were functional, and all were more interesting than the aluminum downspouts on my home.


Love this piggy gargoyle!


Intricate carvings covered every surface.


A little history from Lisbon.net:

      The Jerónimos Monastery, also called Hieronymites Monastery, is along with the Tower of Belém, one of the most visited sites in Lisbon. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1983. This landmark is called Mosteiro dos Jerónimos in Portuguese.
       The religious building was designed by the Portuguese architect Diogo de Boitaca to commemorate the return of Vasco da Gama from India. The construction began on 6 January 1501 and wasn’t completed until the seventeenth century.  The building is predominantly Manueline style (Portuguese late Gothic).
       Curiously, the monastery was built on the site of the former Ermida do Restelo, the chapel where Vasco da Gama and the rest of the sailors prayed before setting sail down the African coast to India.  
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22 comments:

  1. Impressive! Functional gargoyles? In what way?

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  2. Thanks for sharing via your eyes and adventure! I love it!

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  3. Judy, I found this info online:
    In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between. Architects often used multiple gargoyles on a building to divide the flow of rainwater off the roof to minimize the potential damage from a rainstorm. A trough is cut in the back of the gargoyle and rainwater typically exits through the open mouth.

    How cool is that?

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  4. Thanks, Sandy. I'm not sure the gargoyles on Notre Dame are functional, but it's good to know what some of them were designed to do!

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  5. So beautiful! I love all the detail!

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  6. The monastery is beautiful! Monasteries are one of my favorite places to visit in Europe, I love their architecture and how peaceful it feels in there.

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  7. Gorgeous photos! I would love to see these places in person. Thanks for sharing.

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  8. Once again you took me to a fantastic place I will never be able to visit. Thanks, Sandy!

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  9. It's the most stunning monastery I've ever been inside, Sandra, and believe me, I've seen a few! :) :) All the best for 2020!

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  10. That's pretty darn interesting. I loved the detail about it was built on the site of a former building where Vasco Del Gama prayed before setting out on a journey.
    Those intricate carvings. Were they designed or did they hire extremely skilled and artistic craftsmen and they went ahead and did their work the way they wanted.

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  11. I cannot get enough of this place. Just too dang crowded :)

    Happy New Year.

    Worth a Thousand Words

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  12. It's a beautiful place! Happy New Year.

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  13. This was a special treat! Your photos and narrative are outstanding! I enjoyed the tour.

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  14. I love the intricate craftsmanship of old buildings. Such details and artistry! I too find gargoyles wonderful. Happy New Year!

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  15. Hello,

    The Monastery is beautiful, so many wonderful details. I love the gargoyles. Awesome photos, thanks for sharing your trip! I wish you all the best in 2020, a Happy & Healthy New Year!

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  16. Great photos. I visited the monastery when I was in Lisbon a few years ago. Hope you have a happy and healthy 2020.

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  17. Amazing architecture and great photos of Portugal ~ ^_^


    Happy New Year to You,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  18. Great images! I am always in awe of these magnificent buildings, their architecture and details. Enjoy your New Year's celebrations and have a Happy New Year.

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  19. I often wonder if we have lost the skills that created all those wonderful old buildings. I do hope not. A Happy New Year to you Sandra.

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  20. What an amazing place! I'm glad you shared this piece of history.


    My Corner of the World

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  21. Wow, these are some fascinating pictures. I could spend a while here just looking at it all and you were actually here. Dang girl, you must have had a great time. Thank you so much for sharing. Have a great day.

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