Torre de Belém

Avenida de Brasilia,
1400-038 LISBOA

Opening hours:

Tuesday to Sunday:
October - April: 10 am - 5.30 pm
May - September: 10 am - 6.30 pm

Monday, 1 Jan, Easter Sunday, 1 May and 25 Dec - closed

Tel: (351) 213620034
Fax: (351) 213639145
E-mail: mosteirojeronimos@mosteirojeronimos.pt


The Belém Tower (Torre de Belém) is the very important Portugal's monument - a fortress built to guard the entrance to Lisbon's harbour. It was erected in the years 1515 - 1520, in the age of Discoveries. The initiative came from King Joao II, and after his death, works on the fortress were continuing by his successor King Manuel I. The project of the building was made by Francisco de Arruda. The Tower was built in the Manueline style, and its construction is considered to be the only one in that style that preserved to today. In 1983 it was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage monument.

In the Belém Tower construction distinguishes two parts: the narrower, that is the tower itself with the four vaulted rooms - Sala do Governador, Sala dos Reis, Sala das Audiencias and Chapel, and the wider one - the later designed bulward. The facades presents typical symbols of Manueline style - twisted ropes on the wall, crosses of the Military Order of Christ, stonework motifs of the Discoveries, sculptures of historical figures, elements of Islamic and Oriental influences, etc.

Apart of being a fortress, the Belém Tower also had other functions, such as being a navigation point, a customs control point, a telegraph station, or even a political prison.