The Sacristy of the Church of Santa Maria de Belém
From the brochure I got at the main entrance:
The Sacristy of the church of Santa Maria de Belém is one of the most beautiful architectural spaces in the Monastery of Jerónimos. Connected to both the Cloister and the Church through the northern arm of the transept, it was built during the period when - after having replaced the master builder Boytac (ca. 1492-1528) - architect João de Castilho (ca. 1475 1528) became responsible for coordinating the erection works of the Monastery.
With a quadrangular floor plan, this space's most distinctive feature is its elegant central column. Springing from the top of the column are the ribs of the vaulted ceiling, producing a stunning palm-tree effect.
Eight twisted consoles placed along the walls support the complex network of ribs, highlighting the contrast between this late-Gothic construction and the decorative work of the central column. This already heralds the appearance of the new Renaissance style, for these decorative features have a more rigid arrangement and include vegetal motifs of vines and bunches of grapes, ferronneries , masks and cartouches, all drawn from the universe of Flemish engravings. It is likely that, at some point in time, there existed a lavabo around the central column.
All along the side walls of the Sacristy is a magnificent succession of deep chests used to store liturgical vestments and instruments. This is one of the finest examples of 16th century Portuguese furniture, the characteristics of which suggest that it was possibly designed by architect Jerome of Rouen (1530-1601) who, in the late 16th century built the tombs of the princes located in the transept Besides an unusual cabinet made of exotic woods and dated to the 17th century, we can contemplate, above the deep chests, an ensemble of fourteen paintings on wood, from the early 16th century, and depicting episodes from the life Of St. Jerome, which are attributed to the mannerist painter Simão Rodrigues, the most active master painter of that period.
Together with the other paintings in the space, which are the work of the royal artist Miguel de Paiva, they form a small gallery already heralding the great decorative projects that were to become the common feature of the most important Portuguese sacristies of the baroque period.
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