Jerónimos

Jerónimos refers to Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, a prominent monastery in the Belém district of Lisbon, Portugal. Named for the Order of Saint Jerome (Ordem dos Jerónimos), the complex was commissioned by King Manuel I in the early 16th century to celebrate Vasco da Gama's voyage to India and to symbolize Portugal's maritime era.

Construction began in 1501, and the monastery's church and cloisters are celebrated examples of Manueline architecture, a Portuguese late Gothic style that blends naturalistic and maritime motifs such as ropes, knots, and ship figureheads. The project involved several master builders, including Diogo de Boitaca and later work by João de Castilho.

Among the most notable features are the elaborately carved cloisters. The Monastery houses the tombs of Vasco da Gama and Luís de Camões, Portugal's greatest poet. The church is dedicated to Santa Maria and is part of the wider Jerónimos complex.

In 1983, Mosteiro dos Jerónimos was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Monumentos dos Jerónimos e Torre de Belém in Lisbon. Today the site is a major tourist attraction and the home of the Museu de Marinha (Maritime Museum). It remains an important symbol of the Portuguese Age of Discoveries and a landmark in Belem near the Tagus River.