One day in Lisbon
It was the third day of our acquaintance with Lisbon. In the first one, we walked the city from north to south, to Commerce Square (Praca do Commercio), in the second, we explored the city with the help of the 28th tram, funiculars, observation platforms and, of course, our feet. We decided to dedicate the third day to the Belen area, where tram number 15 brings all the tourists.
We started from the farthest point of our route - Belem Tower (Torre de Belem), built more than five centuries ago as an important strategic and defensive structure.
Lisbon. Belem Tower
Built in 1515 in the middle of the river, it was supposed to protect the entrance to the harbor of Lisbon. It was she who was seen by sailors, returning home after long wanderings, she was also the “last look at their homeland” for the Portuguese, who were serving on long-distance sea expeditions. And a small statue of Our Lady and Child on the terrace of the tower has become a symbol of the protection of sailors during their voyages.
Belem Tower, statue of Our Lady
We arrived at the Belem Tower shortly before the opening, a small queue had already gathered. We immediately took a complex ticket to visit the tower and the monastery of Jeronimos. I don’t remember the price exactly, I only remember that such a ticket turned out to be cheaper than if we bought tickets separately for each object. And after that we entered the monastery, bypassing a huge queue.
Lisbon. Belem Tower
The tower is a kind of mini-castle surrounded by battlements with loopholes on the defensive tiers, with many watchtowers topped with Moorish domes, with Venetian-style balconies and loggias. On the ground floor there is a small covered gallery with access to the patio. On the second level there is an open terrace with an openwork balustrade. From there, narrow steep steps lead to the top of the castle. On the upper floors are the Royal and Governor's Halls and the Audience Hall.
Belem Tower
Belem Tower, Terrace
Belem Tower
Belem Tower
Belem Tower
An earthquake in 1755 changed the course of the river, and now the tower stands almost on the bank.
Curiously, in order to separate the oncoming streams of tourists on a narrow steep staircase, special traffic lights with a timer were made to regulate traffic.
The next point of our route is the Jeronimos Monastery, the most grandiose building in Lisbon, one of the seven wonders of Portugal. You can get to it by returning to the tram and driving one stop, but we decided to walk along the embankment past the monument to the Discoverers erected in 1960.
The monument resembles a giant caravel. At the head is the famous Prince Enrique the Navigator, under whose influence Portugal once became a great maritime power. Behind him - King Afonso V and Vasco da Gama. In total, on both sides of the monument there are 32 figures of prominent people of the country who contributed to the formation of Portugal as a maritime empire. At the top there is an observation deck, which can be reached by elevator.
Lisbon. Monument to the Discoverers
Lisbon. Square in front of the monument to the Discoverers. Picture taken from the Internet
The monument was covered with a net - something we were lucky on this trip to the restored sights : )). But a huge map of the world, lined with colored marble on the square in front of the stele, attracted our attention and the attention of many tourists for a long time.
Lisbon. Square in front of the Monument to the Discoverers
Lisbon. Square in front of the monument to the Discoverers
After reading all the inscriptions on the map : ), we cross a huge, beautiful square with a fountain. Directly in front of us is the Jeronimos Monastery (Mosteiro dos Jeronimos), an impressive building, a symbol of the power and wealth of Portugal during the Age of Discovery.
Lisbon. Square in front of the monument to the Discoverers
Lisbon. Jeronimos Monastery
Lisbon. Jeronimos Monastery
Lisbon. Jeronimos Monastery
King Manuel I began building the monastery in 1501 on the site of a chapel erected by Prince Henry the Navigator. In this chapel, Vasco da Gama and his team spent the last night in prayer before their departure for India.
Heinrich was known for his passion for discovering new lands. He equipped expeditions for the systematic exploration of the near coast of the Atlantic and the coast of Africa, and further to India. It was the proceeds from the sale of spices and treasures brought from Asia, Africa and South America that became a constant source of funding for the construction and expansion of the monastery, which lasted more than half a century. And it cost the treasury annually 750 tons of gold.
The monastery was built in memory of the expedition of Vasco da Gama and as gratitude to the Virgin Mary for the successful journey of the navigator.
The king named the new monastery de Santa Maria de Belen and gave it to the Order of Saint Jerome - so that the monks pray daily for the souls of the king and his successors, as well as all sailors sailing from Portugal.
It so happened that we slipped through the entrance to the monastery church and immediately got into the cloister, surrounded by galleries with monastery premises. Openwork arches and balustrades, decorated with marine motifs - interlacing of ropes, images of corals and sea shells, figures of animals, sea monsters, unique carved ornaments, each element of which was not repeated twice - everything they saw took their breath away, their eyes ran from the inability to cover everything. I wanted to consider every detail of the jewelry, called the "Manueline style" - a style that combined late Gothic, Moorish style and the influence of the early Renaissance.
Jeronimos Monastery. Cloister
Jeronimos Monastery. Cloister
Jeronimos Monastery
Jeronimos Monastery
Jeronimos Monastery
Jeronimos Monastery. Refectory
Jeronimos Monastery. Refectory
Inside the monastery are the tombs of Vasco da Gama and the poet Luis de Camõ es, author of the poem "The Lusiades", in which he glorifies the triumph of da Gama and his comrades. Kings Manuel I and Juan III, poets Fernando Pessoa and Alessandro Herculano and other great personalities who created the history of Portugal are also buried here.
Tomb of Vasco da Gama, this image from the Internet
Jeronimos Monastery. Tomb of Luis Camõ es
And here an incident happened - trying to find the entrance to the monastery church, we got lost. Several times they walked around all the premises around the monastery courtyard, climbed to the second tier, got to the balcony overlooking the church hall and examined it “from above”, but could not find the main entrance. : ) We decided to return to the main entrance to the monastery, to where there is a large queue of those wishing to get in from the street : ), and immediately found the right door on the right. : )
Jeronimos Monastery. Cathedral
Jeronimos Monastery. Cathedral
Jeronimos Monastery. Church
The church of the monastery of Jeronimos is famous for its portals. The most beautiful is the southern portal on the facade stretching along the river. In the center of the portal is a sculpture of the Mother of God with a baby, holding a vase with the gifts of the Magi, on the sides of it are the figures of the prophets, apostles, church leaders and saints. Here are scenes from the life of St. Jerome, a little higher - the coat of arms of Portugal. Below, between the doors of the church, is a sculpture of Henry the Navigator with a sword, at whose feet stone lions froze in battle.
Jeronimos Monastery. South Portal
Jeronimos Monastery. South Portal
The National Archaeological Museum and part of the Maritime Museum are located in the western wing of the monastery. Official site: www. mosteirojeronimos. pt
The Belem Tower and the Jeronimos Monastery are the only large monuments of the Age of Discovery that survived the 1755 earthquake in Lisbon.
Coming out of the monastery, completely delighted with what we saw, we decided to have coffee in the Pasteis de Belem cafe, where, they say, the most delicious pasteis de nata cakes (pasteis de nata). And how can you pass by the most famous Lisbon cafe, whose reputation has not changed since 1837, if it is located next to the Jeronimos Monastery ? ? : )) In addition to coffee and pasta, we took a piece of pie with different fillings - time imperceptibly approached dinner. Sitting at a table in a cafe, we got acquainted with Muscovites - exchanged impressions about Portugal, asked them about Sintra, where we were going the next day.
Lisbon, Cafe Pasteis de Belem. The line at the cafe in the afternoon
Pasteis de Belem, Lisbon
As girls who loved the fairy tale about Cinderella in their childhood and dreamed of riding in a luxurious carriage at least once, we could not miss the museum of carriages, which is considered the best in the world. Moreover, it is located a little further along the same street as the monastery of the Hieronymites. : )
The National Carriage Museum (Museu Nacional dos Coches) is located in the building of the former riding school at the royal palace, which has now become the residence of the President of Portugal.
Lisbon. National Carriage Museum. (picture from internet)
In order to preserve the props of the Portuguese royal court, Queen Amelia decided in 1905 to create a museum of carriages in the building of the royal arena. Most of the carriages belonged to the Portuguese royal family. But the collection also includes carriages of embassies, and carriages that once belonged to the Pope, the head of the Catholic Church.
Lisbon. National Carriage Museum
The museum's collection is considered one of the most unique collections in the world - it contains carriages made in Portugal, Italy, Austria, Spain and France. In addition to carriages, there are cabriolets, landau, sedan chairs, charabans, phaetons and children's carts in which ponies were harnessed, etc.
The oldest and most valuable item in the collection, dating from the end of the 16th to the beginning of the 17th century, is the carriage of King Philip II of Spain, on which he came to Portugal in 1619. The carriage is not only the oldest, but also the most modest. Fashion has changed - the design of the crew has also changed. Over time, the carriages became more luxurious and refined, velvet, gilding and mahogany trim appeared, they began to be decorated with statues and candelabra.
In the upper part of the arena there were stands connected by narrow galleries, and at both ends of the building there were balconies for the judges and the royal family, from where they watched the competitions. Now in the upper part of the hall there are prams, pony carts, charabans, landau, as well as various intricate accessories for horseback riding - spurs, saddles, harness and uniforms. The walls are decorated with portraits of members of the royal family.
Unfortunately, there was subdued lighting in the arena hall, and therefore photographing this magnificent collection with an ordinary camera is an absolutely thankless task. : ((
The official website of the museum: http://museudoscoches. pt/en/
Further, a little tired and even a little crazy from the number of impressions, we sat down on a bench in the park opposite the museum - to take a break, because the next one in our plan is the Ajuda National Palace (Palacio Nacional da Ajuda). The palace is located in the same area - judging by the map, not very far away, and you can drive up to it by bus. While we were resting in the park and discussing what we saw, confusion and vacillation began in our tourist quartet - half were tired and wanted to go home, and the other half, more experienced in such travels, was determined to visit the palace. Naturally, experience won, for which I was warmly grateful afterward - for perseverance and the ability to persuade. : )
It would seem that we have already seen so many palaces in a few years of travel, and still the Palace of Ajuda was able to surprise and delight us! Luxurious interiors, spacious halls, hospitable staff of the palace, ready to show, tell and answer all the questions we asked in clumsy English, and no less important - the almost complete absence of tourists, which allowed us to leisurely examine the royal monastery.
Ajuda Palace is located a little away from the main tourist trails, and it seemed to me that tourists are not “taken by buses” there. Therefore, there were only a few visitors, no one stepped on anyone's heels.
True, we still had to get there on foot. After unsuccessfully sitting at the bus stop for 30 minutes and not waiting for the two shuttle buses promised by the schedule, we stomped along the street leading up steeply. : ) As it turned out, the road was being repaired a little higher, and for this time the bus route was slightly changed.
Lisbon. Ajuda Palace (picture taken from the Internet)
The palace is huge, but its gray color with a slight shabby and in some places lagging plaster, especially after the beautiful monastery of Hieronymites, at first disappointed and alerted a little. But the doubts that crept in dissipated in the very first halls. The queen's chambers, the king's study, the billiard room, the dining room, bathrooms with running water and hygiene items... The dance hall, the Banquet and Throne rooms, the Winter Garden... Carved gilded furniture, antique tapestries, collections of Meissen and Sevres porcelain, magnificent crystal chandeliers and candelabra, art canvases by famous painters, as well as original drawings made by members of the royal family - all this impresses with sophistication and beauty.
Lisbon. Ajuda Palace
Lisbon. Ajuda Palace. Queen's quarters
Lisbon. Ajuda Palace. Dining room
At the entrance to the palace there is a sign saying that photography is prohibited. And we sacredly honored the rule until we noticed that a couple of local tourists walking behind were openly photographing the interiors they liked... True, we did not dare to shoot so frankly, so we took pictures a little, quickly and, as it turned out, unfortunately, not always of high quality. : (
Ajuda Palace was the last residence of the royal family in Portugal - the royal dynasty lived here from 1861 until 1910, when the monarchy was overthrown by a military coup in the country.
Most of the ancient royal palace today is occupied by a museum, the rest of the premises house the National Library of Ajuda, the Ministry of Culture. Occasionally, official meetings of dignitaries of Portugal and state-level ceremonies are held in the palace.
Official site: http://www. palacioajuda. pt
Not far from the palace is the Ajuda Botanical Garden. This is the oldest botanical garden in Portugal. It was created in 1768 by order of the Marquis of Pombal. During the invasion of the French army in 1808, a significant part of the Royal Garden collection was destroyed. After the overthrow of the monarchy and the announcement of the Republic, the garden was opened to visitors.
Lisbon. Ajuda Botanical Garden.
The garden is small, and we walked around it pretty quickly. In the center is an 18th-century fountain with a marine theme. The pride of the garden is a 400-year-old dracaena brought from the island of Madeira.
Lisbon. Ajuda Botanical Garden.
Lisbon. Ajuda Botanical Garden. Fountain
Lisbon. Ajuda Botanical Garden. 400 year old dracaena
Lisbon. Ajuda Botanical Garden.
Lisbon. Ajuda Botanical Garden.
By the time we got into the garden, all four of us, in turn, began to "sit down" cameras, phones and tablets, signaling to us that no one's resources are unlimited, and it's time to wrap up. : ) Yes, and the legs were already buzzing with fatigue. To our joy, at the end of the garden there was a second exit and directly opposite - a bus stop. This time the bus came and - right on schedule. : ))
