Services

The educational function forms part of the institution’s public service remit.

Education through Art and Heritage is now an indispensable reality. The Jerónimos Monastery is therefore committed to providing communities and visitors in general with an active, high-quality Educational Service. Heritage belongs to everyone and, as such, should be respected, experienced and learned about.

The Educational Service of the Jerónimos Monastery uses guided visits as its principal means of interpretation and engagement. General or thematic guided visits are adapted to the age profile, needs, and expectations for knowledge and enjoyment of all audiences. The History, artistic language and iconographic programmes represented throughout the monument are explored.

SCHOOL GROUPS

The Educational Service of the Jerónimos Monastery offers guided visits for students at all levels of education, from pre-school to university, which can be adapted to the curricula of different subjects.

Visits must be booked by teachers sufficiently far in advance to allow them to be scheduled. The booking request should indicate the name of the school, level of education, number of students, and the teacher or teachers responsible for the student group or groups, together with an appropriate telephone contact number.

These visits focus on the historical and artistic aspects of the heritage complex known as the Jerónimos Monastery, which includes the exterior portals, the two levels of the Cloister, and the Church of Santa Maria de Belém, which remains open for worship.

Bookings can be made through:

se@mosteirojeronimos.pt

or the general telephone number: +351 21 362 0034

GENERAL PUBLIC

The Educational Service does not provide guided visits for the general public, except for thematic guided visits announced in advance through the institution’s usual communication channels, for which prior registration is required.

These guided visits focus on specific parts of the heritage complex and/or particular themes.

SPECIAL GUIDED VISITS

Special guided visits, normally held outside the monument’s public opening hours, are available in Portuguese, English, French and Spanish. They must be booked at least two weeks in advance through one of the following contacts:

geral@mosteirojeronimos.pt

or the general telephone number: +351 21 362 0034

The Jerónimos Monastery’s bibliographic collection comprises works relating to subjects directly or indirectly associated with the monument and the Tower of Belém.

It contains approximately 1,200 items, including monographs, periodicals, theses and other publications covering the fields of Architecture, History, Conservation and Restoration, and Heritage.

The collection will shortly be made available for on-site consultation by students and researchers.

The use of images in museums, monuments and palaces under the authority of Museus e Monumentos de Portugal, E.P.E. (MMP), such as the Jerónimos Monastery and the Tower of Belém, is regulated by Order No. 10946/2014, of 27 August. Its provisions were issued by the former Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage (DGPC) and remain applicable to MMP by virtue of paragraph 4 of Article 9 of Decree-Law No. 79/2023, of 4 September, until such time as they are amended, in accordance with paragraph 2 of Article 21 of the Statutes (Annex I to the same legislation). Accordingly, in the aforementioned Order, all references to the DGPC shall be understood as references to MMP.

The use of images of the Jerónimos Monastery or the Tower of Belém for commercial or professional purposes therefore requires prior authorisation and may be subject to fees. Requests must be submitted at least 15 days in advance to: geral@mosteirojeronimos.pt

Amateur photography is permitted provided that no tripod, poles or selfie sticks, flash or artificial lighting are used, and that photography does not obstruct circulation or compromise safety.

ALTAR

A raised structure, table or sacred platform used in religious contexts for offerings, prayer or ritual. In Catholicism, the sacred table on which the Eucharist is celebrated, or a place of worship and spiritual offering.

ALTARPIECE

An artistic structure made of wood, stone or joinery, placed above or behind the altar in a church and composed of painted panels or sculptures.

BALDACCHIN

An architectural structure or canopy, supported by columns or suspended, used to cover altars, thrones or tombs, symbolising honour and solemnity.

BASTION

In military architecture, a polygonal defensive structure projecting outwards from a curtain wall, allowing artillery fire in several directions and protecting the angles of a fortress. A characteristic element of modern fortifications designed for the use of pyroballistics.

CORBEL

An architectural or decorative element projecting from a wall and serving as structural support for beams or slabs, or for decorative elements such as cornices, arches or busts.

GALILEE

A roofed architectural structure or gallery, normally situated at the entrance to a church.

GARGOYLE

Stone sculptures, often grotesque or demonic in appearance, used in architecture, particularly Gothic architecture, to discharge rainwater away from walls and prevent erosion.

GOTHIC

A medieval artistic and architectural movement that flourished in Europe from the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries, characterised by verticality, pointed arches, ribbed vaults and large stained-glass windows. It can be divided into four principal phases: Early Gothic, marking the transition from Romanesque architecture and characterised by the pointed arch; High or Classical Gothic, characterised by verticality and stained glass; Rayonnant Gothic, with an emphasis on rose windows and light; and Flamboyant Gothic, characterised by exuberant decoration, into which the Manueline style falls.

MANNERISM

A European artistic style (approximately 1520–1600), centred in Italy, which emerged as a transition between the Renaissance and the Baroque. It is characterised by a departure from classical harmony, placing emphasis on maniera (individual style), elongated figures, intense colours and dramatic compositions, reflecting the political and religious instability of the period.

MANUELINE

An exclusively Portuguese artistic and architectural expression dating from the late fifteenth to the early sixteenth century, associated with the reign of King Manuel I (1495–1521), which combines Flamboyant Gothic with Spanish Plateresque influences. It blends Late Gothic elements with naturalistic motifs, nautical references, royal and religious symbols.

NAVE

The central part of a church, extending from the main entrance towards the transept.

PLATERESQUE

A sixteenth-century Spanish artistic and architectural style marking the transition from Gothic to Renaissance, characterised by intricate and densely worked decoration comparable to the work of a silversmith (plata being the Spanish word for silver), from which the name derives.

PARAPET

A low masonry wall constructed around the upper perimeter of external walls, used to conceal the roof, gutters and upper architectural elements, while also contributing to the building's architectural appearance.

ROSE WINDOW

A large circular window admitting light into a church, characteristic of Gothic architecture and usually incorporating stained glass. It is typically positioned on a façade or transept and symbolises eternity.

SPIRE

A pyramidal or conical termination crowning a tower or bell tower.

TRANSEPT

A transverse gallery or part of a church that crosses the main nave at right angles, generally situated between the nave and the choir. It divides the church space, separating the area for the faithful (the nave) from the area reserved for the clergy.

VAULT

A curved, concave architectural structure used to cover spaces between walls or pillars, composed of elements such as stone or brick voussoirs that work in compression. Typical of Roman and Gothic architecture, its construction is based on arches that support their own weight on points of support.

VOUSSOIR

A wedge-shaped block of cut stone forming part of an arch, vault, etc. The voussoir that closes the vault, and is the last to be placed, is known as the keystone.