Iconic Lisbon Tour: Discover Historic Monuments and Taste Pastéis de Belém

His monument was erected to serve both as a gateway to the city of Lisbon and as a defense against possible invasions and attacks from the Tagus. This rampart was a strategic point also protecting the Jeronimos Monastery, which constituted strategic points to invade the city.

In this monument, classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, it is worth noting the facades, the church, and the cloisters. On the south facade, one can admire the portal painted by João de Castilho, where the figures are arranged according to a specific hierarchy: below, Infante D. Henrique guards the entrance, the Virgin of Bethlehem blesses the monument, and Archangel Saint Gabriel, the protector of Portugal, completes the arc. The western portal, through which one enters the sacred space, is the authorship of Nicolau Chanterenne. To the left, protected by St. Jerome, is the statue of King D. Manuel, which is said to be a realistic portrait, and to the right is that of Queen D. Maria, his wife, protected by St. John the Baptist.

At the beginning of the Nineteenth Century, in Belém, next to Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (the Heironymite Monastery) there was a sugar cane refinery attached to a small general store. As a result of the 1820 liberal revolution, all convents and monasteries in Portugal were shut down in 1834, the clergy and laborers were expelled.
In fact, the only true ‘Pasteis de Belém’ contrive, using a scrupulous selection of ingredients, to offer even today the flavor of the time-honored Portuguese sweet making.

Visit and let yourself be dazzled by the views from the Miradouro do Alto do Parque

Main street at Lisbon