The beautiful Building that is the Monasterio de Jeronimo is also home strangely enough to the Maritime museum. I think that Lynne had felt I had enough of churches for a bit and I was allowed to indulge myself,
The building is itself magnificent and had to be put in the ever expanding " come again " file. Below is the entrance to the museum.
Upon entering you are confronted with a statue of Henry the Navigator, The first and possibly greatest of the armchair explorer`s his contribution to the mapping of the globe can not be underestimated.
Incidentally as my knowledge of Portuguese history expands a little, you may remember that we have visited Henrys tomb along with that of his mother Phillipa of Lancaster in Batalha. Phillipa's father was John of Gaunt (Duke of Lancaster ) who along with some stout English bowmen fought a battle in 1385 at Aljibarrota along with King Joáo defeating the Castilians and assured Portugal's independence from Spain. The treaty of Windsor which followed this event is the longest lasting treaty between two country's to date. Makes me proud of my Lancastrian heritage and slightly ashamed of my ignorance of my countryman's contribution to the formation of Portugal.
There are some fine models of the Carraks and Caravelles in Henrys fleet, all carrying the Templar cross on their sails. 14th and 15th century.
To a sailor they suggest a crossover with English ships of the period, high castles at either end and a rather tubby appearance, the above model could be the Golden Hind.
Of course there a lots of guns too!
I think Lynne enjoyed her visit as the exhibits are interesting for a number of reasons and they are arranged so as to illustrate their time and place quite well. So there are costumes and furniture from Africa and Asia. Showing Portugals expanding trade around the world.
The museum spreads across several buildings and as you walk across a wide courtyard towards the full size exhibits in a separate hall there is the opportunity to see several small coastal fishing boats which were very familiar to us from our stops down the coast.
There is an eclectic collection of craft in the large modern hall, a great many oared barges both Royal and otherwise. One which was last used by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, possibly shortly after their marriage I seem to remember.
The English connection continues with an collection of flying boats and seaplanes including this one which was the first to cross the south Atlantic. Of course its a Fairy machine manufactured and built in England.
There are more modest craft however , the small yacht below is a Swedish design and is registered in Lisbon.
There is a handy elevated walkway to view the vessels on display
It certainly made a change from churches and I must admit to the fact it was a spiritual journey for me as the veins of history exploration and humanity just leak from these fine craft. We are linked on so many levels and our joint history goes back a very long way, we share a long wake.
Before we left we had a quick look at the Viking exhibition.
Lynne turned into a Viking lass,she has always loved dressing up!
We had to hurry through the exhibition unfortunately but a highlight for me, other than the longship models of course, was this replica of a runic boulder carving which mixes pagan (Nordic ) and Christian symbology.
Some of the gold jewellery was exquisite, this crucifix was very small but the workmanship was beautiful. Of course, Christ is portrayed as a Northman!
We did go into the church attached to the Monastario dos Jeromimos, luckily this is free and is a truly impressive structure. Commissioned by Manuel I in 1501 it was largely financed by "pepper money" a tax levied on spice , precious stones and gold. This was just after the famous voyage of Vasco de Gama and here you will find his tomb. Another of the Great Discoverers.
I had finished up in another church after all! But I had to pay my respects to a great sailor.
We would be coming back to Belem for a few more visits. There is simply to much to see.
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