During Holy Week, it is a tradition among Catholics to visit several Churches to pray and reflect on the Passion of Christ. When we visited Lisbon last October, we made sure that we visited the Jeronimos Monastery in the town of Belem in Lisbon. This site was the former monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome, the building of this enormous Church and Monastery was initiated in 1501 and completed 100 years later in 1601. The whole building facade and interior were designed in the Portuguese Late Gothic Manueline style of architecture in Lisbon, carved with intricate ornamentations. This monastery was classified a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983. Inside the Church of Santa Maria, dedicated to our Mother Mary, there were several Portuguese monarchs and their royal families buried near the main altar and the famous Portuguese navigator and explorer, Vasco Da Gama. Just walking around and exploring the architecture, the history and the Church was full of the history of Portugal. This is one of the beautiful and historical buildings we have ever visited.
May this Easter be a season of forgiveness, hope and renewal.
Happy Easter!
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