Curious Facts: Jerónimos Monastery and Church

One of the most stunning examples of late Gothic architecture in Portugal, Jerónimos Monastery and Church is among the country’s most visited landmarks and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Learn more about this remarkable building and how we have worked with local authorities to conserve it.

Jerónimos survived the Great Lisbon Earthquake that left most of the capital in ruins. 

Between the seismic shocks and the subsequent fires and tsunami, the 1755 disaster completely destroyed much of Lisbon. Against all odds, Jerónimos survived with relatively minor damage. 

Jerónimos is an architectural homage to Portugal’s seafaring prowess. 

The building’s decoration incorporates numerous stone carvings that give a nod to Portuguese maritime heritage, such as rope and anchor motifs.  

Jerónimos is the final resting place of some of Portugal’s greatest writers. 

The monastery houses the tomb of Luis de Camões, whose poem Os Lusíadas is considered to be Portugal’s national epic. Fernando Pessoa, one of the most important pioneers of modernist literary, is also buried here. 

Air pollution and acid rain posed a major threat to the historic monastery before conservation began. 

Despite weathering the disastrous 1755 earthquake and centuries of use, environmental factors and heavy tourist traffic seriously impacted Jerónimos. World Monuments Fund (WMF) partnered with the Directorate-General of Cultural Heritage on the conservation of the monastery’s cloister between 2000 and 2002 and was involved in the preservation of the Church between 2012 and 2019, helping to implement the preservation plan designed by the Public Institute of Cultural Heritage to restore the landmark to its original glory. While WMF’s work at Jerónimos has been completed, Portugal’s Public Institute of Cultural Heritage is continuing conservation of the church.

In 2024, we celebrated the completion of WMF’s involvement in this extraordinary undertaking, which will allow the monastery to continue welcoming visitors for years to come. 

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World Monuments Fund’s work at Jerónimos Church, led by our Portugal office in partnership with the Public Institute of Cultural Heritage, has been made possible, in part, by support from The Robert W. Wilson Charitable Trust; GRoW @ Annenberg, a philanthropic initiative of the Annenberg Foundation, led by Gregory Annenberg Weingarten; Richemont International S.A.; EDP; Fundação Millennium bcp; ACP - Automóvel Clube de Portugal; Team Quatro Lda.; and Grupo Brisa.

World Monuments Fund’s work at Jerónimos Cloister, led by our Portugal office in partnership with the Public Institute of Cultural Heritage, has been made possible, in part, by support from Cimpor; EDP; Fundação Millennium bcp; Fundação Luso-Americana para o Desenvolvimento; Galp Energia; SGC SGPS; The Navigator Company; The Robert W. Wilson Charitable Trust; and the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.