Torre de Belem description and photos - Portugal: Lisbon (Topic)

Torre de Belem description and photos - Portugal: Lisbon. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Torre de Belem.

Photo and description

The Torri de Belem Tower was originally conceived as a five-tiered fortress-lighthouse on the Tagus River. It was built in 1515-1521 under Manuel I. From here, Portuguese sailors sailed to discover new trade routes. During the Napoleonic wars, the building was half destroyed, but completely reconstructed in 1845. The bastion, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, whose patronage brings good luck, contained an image of the Blessed Virgin in a sea shell.

The tower, built in the Manueline style, is richly decorated on the outside with images of ropes, openwork balconies, Arabic-style turrets and battlements ... The balustrade of the bypass gallery of the fortress wall is decorated with the coats of arms of the knightly order.

More recently, the Tower served as a prison and a warehouse of weapons.

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Topic: Torre de Belem description and photos - Portugal: Lisbon.