Lisbon Private City Tour

The riverside area of ​​Belém is marked by the imposing Monument of the Discoveries. It was conceived in 1940 on the occasion of the "Exhibition of the Portuguese World", promoted by the government of Salazar to celebrate the double centenary of the founding and restoration of nationality (1140 and 1640). However, it was only built in 1960, on the occasion of the 500th Anniversary Commemoration of the Death of Prince Henry the Navigator. Authored by architect Cottinelli Telmo, it counted on the work of sculptor Leopoldo de Almeida for its realization. At 52 meters high, the monument symbolizes a caravel, led by the figure of Infante D. Henrique, followed in procession by 32 historical personalities who contributed to the Age of Discovery, such as King D. Afonso V (1432-81) , driver of the first discoveries, Vasco da Gama (1460-1524) who discovered the Maritime way to India, Pedro Álvares Cabral (1467-1520), discoverer of Brazil and Fernão de Magalhães, who crossed the Atlantic in 1520-21, between others. The earth-facing façade is shaped like a cross decorated with the Sword of the Order of Aviz, a major travel financier.

On the edge of the Tagus, the heyday of Manueline architecture. In the place where the Jeronimos Monastery is located today, next to the old beach of Belém, was originally a small chapel dedicated to Santa Maria that was built by Infante D. Henrique in 1452. In the early 16th century King D Manuel I was recognized by the Holy See for his intention to have a large monastery erected there, which was donated to the Order of Friars of St. Jerome. High point of Manueline architecture and intrinsically linked to the Epic of the Discoveries, this monastery is the most remarkable Portuguese monastic ensemble of its time and one of the main parish churches in Europe. Construction began in 1501, lasted for 100 years and was directed by a remarkable set of architects and masters of national and foreign works. With the initial layout of the French Boytac, the work was continued by other Masters, namely João de Castilho and, already in the middle of the century, Diogo de Torralva. After the Portuguese arrived in India, the Portuguese crown was able to fund the venture with funds from trade with the East. King Manuel I channeled much of the so-called “Vintena da Pimenta” (approximately 5% of revenues from trade with Africa and the East, the equivalent of 70kg of gold per year) to fund the construction work. This monument, classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, deserves first of all the facades, the Church and the cloisters. In the south façade, you can admire the portal carved by João de Castilho, where the figures are arranged according to a specific hierarchy: below, the Infante D. Henrique guards the entrance, in the middle, the Virgin of Bethlehem blesses the monument, and Archangel Saint Gabriel, the protector of Portugal, shoots the bow. The western portal, through which you enter the sacred space, is by Nicholas Chanterenne. On the left, protected by St. Jerome, is the statue of King D. Manuel who is said to be a faithful portrait, and on the right, that of Queen D. Maria, his wife, protected by St. John the Baptist. Inside is the church hall, the masterpiece of Manueline by João de Castilho. Notice how in a bold architectural work the beautiful vault of the transept is not supported by any column. At the entrance, after the low choir, are the cenotaphs of the poet Luís de Camões, author of the epic poem "Os Lusíadas", and of Vasco da Gama, commander of the navy that in 1497 headed for India. In the side chapels are buried the kings, princes and infants descended from D. Manuel I. In the chancel, later reconstituted by Jerónimo de Ruão, are the tombs of D. Manuel I, his son D. João III and your wives. Special mention should be made of the solid silver tabernacle, a work of Portuguese goldsmithery from the mid-17th century.

The harmony and delicate ornaments of the Belem Tower suggest, to the eye of the beholder, a crafted jewel. But the contemporary view of its construction was different: a formidable and fearsome bulwark defending the river's entrance, crossing fire with the frontier tower of San Sebastian on the other bank. Commissioned by D. Manuel I (1495-1521), it was built by Francisco de Arruda, between 1514 and 1521, on a basalt islet that was located near the right bank of the Tagus, in front of Restelo beach. However, with the progressive displacement of the river course over the years, the Tower was virtually "tied" to the bank. It consists of a quadrangular tower that resembles medieval castles and a polygonal bulwark, a defense element intended to support heavy artillery, with bombs that are shallow to the sea. The watchtowers with domes of buds, which rise at each corner, denote the influence of Moroccan fortifications. Alongside these orientalist elements, Manueline decoration predominates in the stone rigging surrounding it, in heraldic motifs and even in the famous rhino, the first stone representation of this animal in Europe. The most decorative face of the Tower is the south-facing side where the balcony runs. On the wall of the cloister that rises above the bastion stands a carved image of the Virgin with the 18th Century Child. XVIII, "at the bow" of the tower. The interior deserves a visit by the climb to the top floor, where the effort is rewarded by the admirable view over the wide Tagus estuary and the western part of Lisbon, so evocative of the history of Portugal during the Age of Discovery. In 1983, the Belém Tower was classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Dedicated to the Mother of God since 1147. Dedicated to the Mother of God, the Lisbon Cathedral is one of the city's ex-libris and one of the most significant monuments in the country for its historical, religious and artistic value. Its construction began in 1147, when the first king of Portugal, D. Afonso Henriques, reconquered the city from the Moors and was built on a Muslim mosque - which, as the archaeological excavations confirmed, was built on a former Visigothic Christian temple. Although the city had been the seat of a bishopric since at least the fourth century and continued to have a Christian bishop at the time of the Christian Reconquest in the twelfth century, the English crusader Gilberto de Hastings was appointed to this function and the works were begun. already under your responsibility. The first architect was Mestre Roberto, a Frenchman of probable Norman origin, who also worked on the construction of the Coimbra Cathedral and the Santa Cruz Monastery in the same city. At the time, D. Afonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal, brought the relics of the martyr St. Vincent of Zaragoza from the Algarve and deposited them in the See. The original building followed the canons of the Romanesque style, but between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries underwent the first changes. In the reign of D. Dinis, the cloister was built, already in Gothic style. Later, King Alfonso IV had the ambassador built for his family pantheon, which made the See more able to receive pilgrims who came to see the relics of St. Vincent. The ambience gives rise to ten chapels that take various titles, some of them linked to the Virgin: the Chapel of Our Lady of Penha de France, the Chapel of Santa Ana, the Chapel of Santa Maria Maior and the Chapel of Our Lady of Conception. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, works were done in Baroque style, especially at decorative level on the altars and the chancel. In the first half of the century. XX, the medieval character of the Sé was restored. Inside, one must visit the chapel of Bartolomeu Joanes, an important bourgeois of medieval Lisbon, and the excavations of the cloister, which uncovered the successive occupations of this space. Although much of its former estate is preserved in museums (such as the Museum of Ancient Art), the See includes a visitable collection, called the Treasury of the Patriarchal See.

enjoy the fantastic view over Lisbon