Belém Tower, Fortified tower in Santa Maria de Belém, Portugal
Belém Tower is a limestone structure with four stories and an upper bastion on the northern shore of the Tagus in Santa Maria de Belém. Spiral staircases connect the levels, while the outer facade shows carvings of maritime ropes, nautical instruments, and religious emblems.
King Manuel I ordered construction between 1514 and 1519 to secure Lisbon's harbor against seaborne intruders. The fortress later served as a customs post, lighthouse, and even as a prison for several centuries.
The name Belém is a Portuguese rendering of Bethlehem, and the tower's official dedication is to Saint Vincent, Lisbon's patron, whose relics were brought to the city in 1173. Look for the carved crosses of the Order of Christ on the windows of the bastion, a symbol of the maritime expansion the tower was built to protect.
The tower stands on a basaltic rock outcrop on the northern bank of the Tagus, reached at the western end of the Avenida de Brasília by a small bridge. The Jerónimos Monastery lies to the east and the Forte do Bom Sucesso to the west. Inside, four floors are linked by a steep, narrow spiral staircase.
A stone rhinoceros adorns an outer wall, representing the first live specimen brought to Europe from India in 1515. The animal was sent as a gift to Pope Leo X but never reached Rome because the ship sank off the Italian coast.
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