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Henry the navigator  inside the Maritime Museum Henry the navigator is the best known figure in the Belem district. Strolling along the river, you can see him at the top of  the Monument to the Discoveries( Monumento aos Descobrimentos ). Never embarking on any voyages of discovery, he wasn't even a navigator. Still under his patronage, the caravel, a ship with outstanding qualities, was further studied and reshaped to withstand strong tides, enabling longer voyages. caravel in the Maritime Museum Among the little known facts is that Henry the Navigator was the head of the Order of Christ , founded in 1318 as the successor of the Knights Templar . Knights of Templar https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18457521 Templar, started as a Catholic military order, was later persecuted by French King Philip. It was dissolved by Pope Clement V in 1312, with many arrested and charged with offences s...

Were there any metro station nearby, Belem district is the place I would visit everyday. At first I wasn't crazy about it, to be honest. However, the more passionate I got about Portuguese history, the more exciting and even mesmerizing I found it. Among all the must-sees in the Belem district, one of my favorites is the Monument to the Discoveries( Monumento aos Descobrimentos ). To commemorate Henry the Navigator, it was reconstructed after 500 years of his death. The first on the monument is Henry the Navigator.  From the left, there are Henry on top, King Alfonso V and then Vasco Da Gama. Since they stand side by side majestically, some may think they belong to the same period. Not true. King Alfonso V, nephew of Henry, was succeeded by João II , then followed by Manuel I. Vasco Da Gama served Manuel I and the next king João III . Vasco Da Gama, the famous navigator António Manuel da Fonseca - Suid-Afrikaanse Geskiedenis in Beeld (1...