Locals speak of Saint George's
Castle as the cradle of their city, and it might have been
where the Portuguese capital began. Its occupation is
believed to have predated the Romans -- the hilltop was used
as a fortress to guard the Tagus and its settlement below.
Beginning in the 5th century A.D., the site was a visigothic
fortification; it fell to the Saracens in the early 8th
century. Many of the existing walls were erected during the
centuries of Moorish domination. The Moors held power until
1147, the year Afonso Henríques chased them out and extended
his kingdom south. Even before Lisbon became the capital of
the newly emerging nation, the site was used as a royal
palace.
The quadrangular Tower of Belém is a monument to Portugal's Age of Discovery. Erected between 1515 and 1520, the Manueline-style tower is Portugal's classic landmark and often serves as a symbol of the country. A monument to Portugal's great military and naval past, the tower stands on or near the spot where the caravels once set out across the sea.
Its architect, Francisco de Arruda, blended Gothic and Moorish elements, using such architectural details as twisting ropes carved of stone. The coat of arms of Manuel I rests above the loggia, and balconies grace three sides of the monument. Along the balustrade of the loggias, stone crosses represent the Portuguese crusaders.
The richness of the facade fades once you cross the drawbridge and enter the Renaissance-style doorway. Gothic severity reigns. There are a few antiques, including a 16th-century throne graced with finials and an inset paneled with pierced Gothic tracery. If you scale the steps leading to the ramparts, you'll be rewarded with a panorama of boats along the Tagus and pastel-washed, tile-roofed old villas in the hills beyond.
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