Anyone passing through the Belém area of Lisbon is sure to come across one of the city’s most beautiful and ornate monuments, the Monument to the Discoveries.
And you may even know what this icon means to the country, but do you know all its secrets?
Come and find out!
1 – It was “built” twice
The first time, in 1940, it was erected ephemerally , using a light iron and cement structure, by the architect Cottinelli Telmo and the sculptor Leopoldo de Almeida, as part of the Portuguese World Exhibition.
It wasn’t until 1960, on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the death of Prince Henry the Navigator , that it was rebuilt in concrete and rosal stone from Leiria, with the sculptures in limestone from Sintra.
It wasn ‘t until 1985 that the entire interior was remodeled, giving it a belvedere, an auditorium and exhibition rooms.
2 – An imposing stone work that “rips” the Tagus
The Padrão dos Descobrimentos evokes the Portuguese overseas expansion and its caravel shape is 56 meters high and 46 meters long.
The figure of the helmsman Prince Henry the Navigator stands a majestic nine meters tall, while his companions are seven meters each.
3 – Who accompanied Henry the Navigator?
The central element of this monument is the father of the Portuguese Discoveries, Prince Henry the Navigator, and he is accompanied by 32 figures , all associated with the Discoveries, from navigators, cartographers, warriors, colonizers, evangelists, chroniclers and artists.
The west side shows:
- Infante D. Fernando
- Infante Santo, son of King João I, who died in Morocco
- Queen Filipa de Lencastre, wife of King João I and mother of the Illustrious Generation of Infants and Princesses of the House of Avis
- Fernão Mendes Pinto, the writer of the Pilgrimage
- Friar Gonçalo de Carvalho, Dominican missionary
- Friar Henrique de Coimbra, Franciscan missionary
- Gil Eanes, navigator and explorer of the west coast of Africa
- Gomes Eanes de Zurara, chronicler
- Prince Pedro, son of King João I and Regent of the Kingdom
- Jácome de Maiorca, cosmographer
- João Gonçalves Zarco, navigator and discoverer of Madeira Island
- Luís Vaz de Camões, Portugal’s greatest poet
- Nuno Gonçalves, the painter of the Panels of São Vicente; Pedro Nunes, mathematician
- Pêro da Covilhã, traveler and spy
- Pêro de Alenquer, navigator
- Pêro de Escobar, navigator
On the east side, the following are represented:
- Bartolomeu Dias, the first navigator to pass the Cape of Storms, later known as the Cape of Good Hope
- Cristóvão da Gama, military captain
- Afonso de Albuquerque, conqueror of the Portuguese eastern empire
- Afonso Gonçalves Baldaia, navigator
- António de Abreu, navigator
- King Afonso V, the African
- Diogo Cão, navigator and explorer of the African coast
- Estevão da Gama, military captain
- Fernão de Magalhães, the first navigator to cross the Strait of Magellan
- St. Francis Xavier, missionary to India
- Gaspar Corte-Real, navigator and explorer of Canada
- João de Barros, writer
- Martim Afonso de Sousa, navigator
- Nicolau Coelho, navigator
- Pedro Álvares Cabral, navigator and discoverer of Brazil
- Vasco da Gama, navigator and first Portuguese envoy and conqueror in India
4 – The Rose of the Winds that doesn’t go unnoticed
On the access road to the Monument to the Discoveries you’ll find a giant Rose of the Winds, built from black and red limestone.
It is 50 meters in diameter, has a 14-meter-wide planisphere and is decorated with plant elements, five small wind roses, three buffoons, a mermaid, a fantastic fish and Neptune, with his trident and trumpet mounted on an aquatic being.
In the background you can see the characteristic waves of the traditional Portuguese sidewalk.
This wind rose was also inaugurated in 1960, on August 5, designed by architect Luís Cristino da Silva and donated by the Republic of South Africa.
5 – The mast, sails, shields and armillary spheres
Each side of the mast that tears through the sky has two Portuguese shields, with five corners surrounded by 12 castles and four fleurs-de-lis.
Next to these, you’ll also see three curved triangle-shaped structures that create the illusion of sails blown by the wind.
And on either side of the monument, you’ll also find two metal armillary spheres on two parallelepiped platforms.
6 – The viewpoint with the best views of Lisbon
At the top of the Monument to the Discoveries you’ll find a viewpoint with unique views of the Tagus River , Praça do Império and, of course, the Rose of the Winds at the entrance to the monument, where you can take fantastic photos.
7 – The monument’s symbols: the 1st flag, the flag and the standard
The Monument to the Discoveries is full of symbols related to the Age of Discovery, but there are three that stand out:
The 1st Flag: held by Nicolau Coelho, thought to date from the time of King Afonso Henriques.
The Flag: carried by Martim Afonso de Sousa, it was the flag used from the reign of King João I to that of King Afonso V.
The Standard: you’ve probably seen one of these standards around the country, and in other countries too. This landmark was used to mark the presence of the Portuguese in the places they passed through.
8 – The Monument to the Discoveries welcomes visitors
Visits to the Monument to the Discoveries have been reactivated, after a period closed due to renovation and maintenance work.
Address: Avenida Brasília (Belém)
Opening hours: from October to February, every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry 5:30 p.m.); from March to September, every day from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (last entry 6:30 p.m.); closed on January 1st, May 1st, and December 24th, 25th and 31st
Tickets: on the website