PADRÃO DOS DESCOBRIMENTOS
Padrao of 56 m high with an ultra modern design and a world map in the center, enjoying a beautiful view of Lisbon.
Built in 1940 for theExposição do Mundo Português, it was knocked down by a cyclone in 1941 and rebuilt in 1960, to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator, the main promoter of Portuguese maritime expansion. The monument, designed by architect Cottinelli Telmo and sculptor Leopoldo de Almeida, is 56m high and takes the form of a boat. Around it are depicted 33 personalities from the 15th and 16th centuries, including Vasco da Gama, Pedro Álvares Cabral, Fernão Magalhães, Luís de Camões and D. Filipa de Lencastre. It was from here that Vasco da Gama set sail on July 8, 1497, to discover the sea route to India. Its name comes from the word padrões. A padrão (plural padrões) is a "stone pillar surmounted by a cross or the Portuguese coat of arms and bearing an inscription". They were used by Portuguese navigators to mark the places where they landed. The first to use them was Diogo Cão, on the orders of John II in 1482 at the mouth of the Zaire. From the top, it offers a 360º view of Lisbon, Belém and the Tagus, and inside, an auditorium and a temporary exhibition hall. On the ground floor, you'll also find a 50-meter-diameter compass rose made of small cobblestones, based on a design by architect Cristino da Silva, with a planisphere at its center, engraved with the dates and routes of the main Portuguese expeditions.
Further information
Opening time and information on PADRÃO DOS DESCOBRIMENTOS
Open March to September: 10am-7pm, October to February Tuesday to Sunday: 10am-6pm. Admission €10, €5 concessions. Accessible to people with reduced mobility.
Owner's Message
The Monument to the Discoveries (Padrão dos Descobrimentos) is one of the symbols of Lisbon and is located in one of the areas of the city particularly rich in historical and cultural heritage; the Belem district. The Monument to the Discoveries is attributed to the architect Cottinelli Telmo (1897-1948) and the sculptor Leopoldo de Almeida (1898-1975). It was erected for the first time in 1940, for an ephemeral period, on the occasion of the Portuguese World Exhibition. Its final construction dates from 1960, during the celebrations of the 500th anniversary of the death of Henrique the Navigator.
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