Santa Maria de Belém, or just Belém (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈsɐ̃tɐ mɐˈɾiɐ dɨ bɨˈlɐ̃ĩ]) is a parish of Lisbon, Portugal, located 6 km west of the present city centre and 2 km west of Ponte 25 de Abril (25th of April Bridge). Its name is derived from the Portuguese for Bethlehem.
Belém is famous as the place from which many of the great Portuguese explorers set off on their voyages of discovery. In particular, it is the place from which Vasco d...
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Santa Maria de Belém, or just Belém (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈsɐ̃tɐ mɐˈɾiɐ dɨ bɨˈlɐ̃ĩ]) is a parish of Lisbon, Portugal, located 6 km west of the present city centre and 2 km west of Ponte 25 de Abril (25th of April Bridge). Its name is derived from the Portuguese for Bethlehem.
Belém is famous as the place from which many of the great Portuguese explorers set off on their voyages of discovery. In particular, it is the place from which Vasco da Gama departed for India in 1497. It is also a former royal residence and features the 17th-18th century Belém Palace, former royal residence and now occupied by the President of Portugal, and the Ajuda Palace, begun in 1802 but never completed.
Perhaps Belém's most famous feature is its tower, Torre de Belém, whose image is much used by Lisbon's tourist board. The tower was built as a fortified lighthouse late in the reign of Dom Manuel (1515-1520) to guard the entrance to the port at Belém. It stood on a little island in right side of the...
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