TORRE DE BELÉM
The defensive tower at Belém is a jewel of the Manueline architectural style, combining Moorish, Renaissance, and Gothic elements in a dazzling whole. It was built in 1514–20 by Francisco de Arruda, probably to a design by Diogo de Boytac. At that time, the tower stood on an island in the river Tejo, about 650 ft (200 m) from the northern bank, commanding the approach to Lisbon. The land between the tower and the Jerónimos monastery has since been reclaimed.
Dazzling carved exterior of the Torre de Belém
NEED TO KNOW
Avda Brasília • 213 620 034 • www.torrebelem.gov.pt Open 10am–5:30pm Tue–Sun (last adm 5pm; May–Sep: to 6:30pm; last adm 5pm). Closed Jan 1, Easter Sun, May 1, Jun 13, Dec 25 • Adm $8; senior citizens $4; Youth Card holders $4; under 12 free
- The tower is at its prettiest in the early morning or late afternoon. Tour groups tend to visit early, so go as late as you can for a quieter visit.
- Nearby restaurants (including Vela Latina—Doca do Bom Sucesso) often fill up quickly; if you can’t find a table, cross the rail track by the footbridge and walk to the Centro Cultural de Belém. Este Oeste, the restaurant here, has great food and a terrace.
1. Battlements
The merlons of most of the tower’s battlements are decorated with the cross of the Order of Christ, carved to look like fea-tures on a shield. The smaller merlons at the rear and on top of the tower are crowned with pyramid-shaped spikes.
2. Watchtowers
You can’t miss the Moorish-influenced watchtowers. Their domes are seated on Manueline rope-like circles and rise to a pile of small spheres reminiscent of the tops of chess pieces.
Watchtowers
3. Exhibitions
The tower’s former dungeon, now quite bright, is often used for temporary exhibitions, as well as for a permanent information display for visitors and a gift shop.
4. Virgin and Child Sculpture
A statue of Our Lady of Safe Homecoming stands by the light well that was used to lower cannons into the dungeon. She evokes the intrepid explorers of Portugal’s past, but also everyday sailors—and the concerned longing for absent husbands and sons known in Portugal as saudade.
5. Governor’s Room
Now empty, this room was used by the tower’s first governor, Gaspar de Paiva. After it became obsolete, lighthouse keepers and customs officials worked here. The room’s acoustics amplify even the slightest whisper.
6. Rhinoceros Detail
Each of the sentry boxes is supported by a naturalistically carved stone. The rhinoceros on the northwestern box is the most famous, thought to be the first European carving of this animal. Time has now rounded its features.
7. Renaissance Loggia
An arcaded loggia overlooks the main deck—comparisons to a ship are unavoidable here. The loggia breaks with the military style of most of the building and adds a theatrical element, while the railing and tracery of the balustrade are pure Manueline. Balconies on each side of the tower echo the loggia’s style.
Renaissance Loggia
8. Manueline Twists
Ropes and knots were the main theme for the Manueline masons here. The tracery of some of the balustrades features the near-organic shapes that would be developed in later Manueline buildings.
9. Dungeon
From the tower’s vaulted bottom level—also used as a dungeon—17 cannons once covered the approaches to Lisbon.
Dungeon
10. Armillary Spheres
The armillary spheres carved above the loggia were instruments for showing the motion of the stars around the earth. They became a symbol of Portugal, and still feature on the national flag.
HOLY NAMESAKE
Belém means Bethlehem—and the name is taken from a chapel dedicated to St. Mary of Bethlehem, built in the mid-15th century near the river’s edge, in what was then Restelo. This chapel subsequently gave way to the grand Jerónimos church and monastery; the church is still known as Santa Maria de Belém. The name Restelo, for its part, now applies to the area above and behind Belém, a leafy district of fine residences and embassy buildings.
