Lisbon - Belem and the western waterfront Travel Guides | Lisbon | Sub Regions | Lisbon - Belem and the western waterfront

Not surprisingly, tourists flock to the suburb of Belém which, spreading west along the banks of the inky blue Tagus, is a tremendous heap of 15th- and 16th-century Manueline marvels, built to celebrate Vasco da Gama’s discovery of the sea route to India. The Mosteiro dos Jerónimos astounds with its sublime cloister where fantastical sea creatures and maritime emblems writhe in milky stone and the Torre de Belém, the purest form of Manueline style, looks more like a chess piece washed ashore than a defensive fortification. But, while Belém certainly enshrines glories past, it doesn’t keep visitors at a distance. It’s one of the loveliest places in the city with child-friendly activities and 21st-century toys.

Chino-clad boys amble across breezy riverside walkways where six-packed rollerbladers and cyclists glide and where super-sleek yachts are moored and primary coloured fishing boats boats bob along the Tagus. Kites fly and frisbies spin across expansive parks and manicured lawns where museum-weary kids let off steam. The Design Museum is a homage to Starck, Eames and all 20th-century design icons. And, no visit to Belém is complete without paying your respects at the shrine to the pastel de nata , Antiga Pastelaria.

Sights

Praça do Império, T 21 362 00 34/48. Tue-Sun 1000-1700. Church free, cloisters E3, free Sun.

Without doubt, the iconic Jerónimos monastery is Lisbon’s most stunning monument. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984 and a triumph of the age of discoveries, it is a beautiful example of the Manueline style. Portugal’s transition from Gothic to Renaissance, Manueline style was characterized by exotic naturalist motifs intricately carved into the creamy stone – crustaceans, ropes, shells and fish, combined with armillary spheres and other royal emblems.

Dom Manuel I ordered the monastery to be built in 1502, to honour Vasco da Gama’s discovery of the sea route to India and in appreciation of the Virgin Mary for their safe return. Dollops of cash were apportioned from the Vintena da Pimenta (5% of the receipts from the spices and riches from Africa and the East). The monks of the Order of St Jerome (Hieronymite monks) lived in the monastery and it was their duty to pray for the soul of the king and the explorers who sailed from Restelo Beach. For 100 years, Portugal would dominate the sea route to India, bringing the monarchy immense fortune and exotic creatures: elephants, leopards and rhinoceros, which roamed around Lisbon.

The first phase of construction was undertaken by Diogo do Boitaca (1460-1528) and was characterized by Gothic naturalism. Perenially engulfed by tourists, the delectable south-facing portal, is the work of Spanish Renaissance master João Castilho. In the centre is Prince Henry the Navigator and low reliefs evoking scenes from the life of Saint Jerome. Dominating the composition is the serene image of the Virgin. Buttresses, flanked by statuary niches, soar above to form pinnacles resembling whipped cream.

The west portal was the work of French sculptor Nicolau de Chanterène, credited with introducing Renaissance art to Portugal, and evokes the profound sense of mysticism which characterized the outward-looking period of the Discoveries. Scenes in the upper niches relate to the birth of Christ, while to the left two lateral niches evoke King Manuel I, his wife Queen Dona Maria I and their patron saints John the Baptist and Saint Jerome.

Through the western portal, the church of Santa Maria is unbearably beautiful. Six intricately carved columns, like plaited golden hair, fan organically into the vaulted ceiling which, without any supporting arches, almost appears to be floating in mid-air. In the entrance to the church are the tombs of Luís de Camões, author of Portugal’s national epic As Lusíadas and, appropriately enough, Vasco da Gama. In the cloisters, a serene pink marble tomb is the final resting place of Fernando Pessoa. The two-tiered, intricately carved cloister is the most fêted of its kind in Europe. The monastery is busy all year round but it should be avoided on Sundays. The cloisters are best visited late afternoon, when the stone carvings are bathed in soft dappled light.

Praça do Império, T 21 362 00 19, museumar@mail.telepac.pt Oct- May Tue-Sun 1000-1700, Jun-Sep 1000-1800. E3.

In the western wing of the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, the Maritime Museum, with a colossal 17,000 items, is a glorified presentation of Portugal’s maritime history. The Discoveries Room contains chronological displays of replica models from the first fleet of the caravela Latina to Vasco da Gama’s 1498 flag ship, in which he discovered the Indian sea route, a 1793 frigate and a 44-gun ship, built in Lisbon to form part of a squadron that transported King Don João VI to Brazil in 1807, to escape Napoleon’s onslaught. One of the most interesting models is the Madre de Deus nau, built in 1589, which sailed twice to India before it was seized by the English in 1592. So taken were the Brits with its magnificance that it was put on display in Dartmouth.

Upstairs, the Royal Barges Pavilion contains original 18th- century barges and fishing vessels. The highlight is the royal barge built in 1780 during the reign of Queen Maria I, a lavishly gilded vessel which remained operational for some 177 years and transported a roll call of famous passengers, including Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and Queen Elizabeth II of England.

Among the nautical sundries, there is a 1645 terrestrial globe made in the workshop of Willem Jansz Blaeu (1571-1658), the most famous globe maker of them all. Sundials, telescopes, spice jars and furnishings brought from the East are displayed upstairs in the Orient Room, including a Samurai sword (the carved rings represent the number of victims beheaded). The museum also houses the world’s largest collection of astrolabes, the nautical instruments which made Portugal one of the forerunners of European maritime exploration. There is also an intricately carved sculpture of the Archangel Saint Rafael which was carried on board the São Rafael, part of Vasco da Gama’s 1497 fleet and don’t miss the Santa Cruz seaplane, which made the first South Atlantic air crossing in 1922.

Centro Cultural de Belém, Praça do Império, T 21 361 29 34. 1100-2000. E3.

The exceptional Design Museum opened to universal acclaim in 1999 and is considered to be one of the best exhibition spaces of its kind in the world. The vision of media mogul Francisco Capelo who, at the tender age of 45, donated his collection of over 11,000 items to the state, presents a reverential cornucopia of iconic 20th- century design. There are one-off designs in addition to mass- produced objects from Phillipe Starck kettles, colanders and ‘Dr. No’ armchairs to Charles and Ray Eames’ 60s chaise longues.

Engaging exhibits are organized chronologically and present the social transformations that have influenced the development of taste, technique and function; from the 1930s Wall Street crash, which resulted in an aesthetic streamlining characterized by Bauhaus, to the Cuban Missile crisis and Vietnam war, from which arose pop art irreverence and radical anti-design movements. Set against a 1970s context of post-war patriotism and pluralism, there are classic Vener Panton bean bags, plastic orange “cheese” table and chairs and a ‘Big Flower Pot’ hanging lamp. From the 1950s post-war period of prosperity and optimism, the work of the Scandinavian organic modernists sits alongside George Nelson’s ‘Marshmellow’ sofa, Arne Jacobsen’s Egg chair and Paul Henningsen’s 1958 “Artichoke” hanging lamp.

Avenida de Brasília, T 21 362 00 34/38. 1000-1700, closed Mon and public holidays.

Belém’s tower is the poster child of Lisbon. A dazzling fairy-tale confection, the exotic iconography and maritime imagery reveals Portugal’s 16th-century obsession with the Orient. It was built in 1515-21, during the reign of Dom Manuel I, by architect and Manueline Master Francisco Arruda, to defend the Tagus estuary. The tower was originally positioned on an island off the north bank of the Tagus, opposite the beach at Restelo, until the river silted following the earthquake of 1755. Suffused with a mystical aura, the Moorish domed turrets are similar to those used in fortifications in Morocco where Arruda had previously worked. You can climb up to the top of the tower for panoramic views across the estuary.

Av de Brasília, T 21 303 19 50. Daily 0900-1700, closed Mon and public holidays. E3.

Reached by an underpass, the Monolithic Discoveries monument stands some 170 ft tall in the shape of a ship’s prow. It was built in 1960 by Salazar to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator. Rather ironically, within the space of a year of the monument’s inauguration, Portugal’s imperial power was well and truly ruptured when Goa was lost to India. Henry is the monument’s major protaganist standing alongside other legendary Portuguese explorers and crusaders, including Vasco da Gama, in a rather cold freize. You can take the lift up to the top of the monument for magnificent views over the Tagus.

Calãçada da Ajuda, T 21 36 37 095. Daily except Wed, 1000-1700. Sun and holidays 1000-1400. ‘Tours’ depart every half hour, except lunchtime; 1200-1400. On Fri mornings tours given by vounteers are conducted in English on request. E3, free Sun until 1400 and public holidays.

Nestling on a hilltop overlooking Lisbon, amongst an Eden of palms and aromatic pines, the neoclassical Ajuda Palace was the residence of the Portuguese royal family during the reign of Luís (1861-89) and is a depository for a dizzying collection of decorative arts. Construction of the palace began in 1802, designed by Italian architect Francisco Javier Fabri and José Costa e Silva who took over. Building was halted in 1807 when the royal family fled to Brazil and resumed again in 1813.

The rather heady extravaganza includes lavish tapestries designed by Francisco Goya, which were given as a gift to King João VI by the King of Spain in honour of his marriage in 1785 to Princess Carlota. Far from a marriage made in heaven, João was renowned for his troublesome piles and was by no means an Adonis, while ambitious Carlota was an imperious dwarf and attempted on many occasions to get the unpleasing and inept King committed. Still, for all their flaws, they produced nine heirs.

King João V ‘the magnificent’, hit the jackpot in the first half of the 18th century when diamonds were discovered in Brazil. So, with unprecedented wealth, and little restraint, he placed his downright excessive orders for superlative gold- and silver-work in Paris. His successor King José I (1750-77) had similar tastes, accumulating over 1,000 pieces from the Germain goldsmiths, most of which is to be found here.

By the reign of King Luís (1861-89), the monarchy really knew how to have a good time, hosting receptions, balls and concerts, all of which required a lavish setting bearing the hallmarks of acclaimed artists, designers and master craftsmen of the day. Chamber music concerts were held in the Music Room which contains precious oriental porcelain from the Ch’ien period. In the Despatch Room a Sèvres porcelain urn was a gift from Napoleon III in 1867.

The Blue Room was the everyday sitting room of King Luís and Queen Maria Pia and was designed by Possidonio da Silva in 1865. The desk by Paul Sormani decorated with ‘Vernis Martin’ is an exceptional piece of Louis XV style. The agate stone ceiling of the Winter Garden room was a gift from the Viceroy of Egypt.

Maintaining the 19th-century tradition for things oriental, the Chinese Room’s centrepiece is a particulary quirky chandelier, made from Imari tea cups, bowls and lids. The climax of the tour is King Luís’ echoing Throne Room, which corresponds to the size of the entire south wing. The ceiling was painted by Manuel Piolti, themed ‘Heroic Virtue’. The walls are covered with embroidered blood-red silk, the two magnificently gilded thrones are lined with sumptous velvet, decorated with mischievous cherubs and flanked by priceless porcelain jars from the K’anghis Dynasty.

Ajuda’s 18th-century botanical gardens, Calçada da Ajuda, T 21 362 25 03, are believed to be the first in Portugal, created to nurture plants yielded from the exotic lands. The area is covered with hedges, trees over 100 years old and aromatic plants.

Travel Guides | Lisbon | Sub Regions | Lisbon - Belem and the western waterfront
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