Torre de Belém
SYMBOLISM – GLORIFICATION
Perhaps not as significant as one might think.
Another object of misunderstandings. It starts with the assumption that one must wait for hours for a visit. Honestly: you only have to if you have a special interest in fortifications and/or the peculiarities of romanticized Baroque architecture. If the queue miraculously happens to be small, you can look at a few cannons, take some information boards, and enjoy the view. Statistically, at least 2,000 people do this every day. The name itself is a misunderstanding, as officially the thing is called Torre de São Vicente, after the patron saint of Lisbon.
What is it?
”The Torre de Belém is so well known because it reminds us of the voyages of Vasco da Gama,” says a Portuguese historian. Because factually, it’s just a checkpoint meant to impress. Officially, it sounds more significant, involving world heritage, the pinnacle of Portuguese Renaissance, the symbol of sea power, and a synonym for the country itself. The building is also listed among the seven wonders of Portugal. One cannot deny the great symbolism of the watchtower, which holds true to this day and is more stable than the building itself: what you see today is the restored vision of a conservative elite from the 19th century with a few later additions by Mr. Salazar.
The mouth of the Tagus River was significantly wider in the past, silting and landfilling occurred with the industrialization of the Lisbon port facilities. The tower, built on a rocky promontory, used to stand far out in the water back then.
The Story
Artillery-suitable fortifications to protect the port of Lisbon appear around 1380. One hundred years later, a plan is put forward: with three new towers, ships of the growing overseas power will be better secured. Existing facilities in Caparica and Cascais are expanded for this purpose, while existing plans for another watchtower are put on hold due to the death of John II. Therefore, a warship is left to cruise in the estuary.
His successor, the famous Manuel, revives the project in 1513. The location initially makes sense because it is the narrowest point of the Tagus estuary and there is already a tower opposite that could provide crossfire. And: at the right spot, there is a small island in the middle of the river.
Because Portugal is a major power at this time and is flaunting it, the tower mutates into a nationalist symbol. The military function — there are five cannons — is debated from the beginning, architects recommend alterations and roughly implement the square footprint that can be seen today. By 1580, bankrupt Portugal is under Spanish rule, and the new king parks political prisoners in the ”useless São Vicente castle.” By this time, the relevant combat facilities are already further forward in the estuarine area.
The clearest sign of Portuguese megalomania in the 16th century is the story of the rhinoceros, which King Manuel has brought from India to allegedly compete against an elephant. It can also be seen from an art historical perspective. Here, the stone rhinoceros is considered the first plastic representation of such an animal in Europe.
After that, the object is sometimes a customs post, sometimes a prison, sometimes both. The cells are so low that one can hardly stand. In 1780, the focus returns to the original purpose, and the tower is integrated into the newly built Forte de Bom Sucesso. Napoleon, as well as the later civil war, leave their marks, prompting the question of whether it is art or can be removed. The famous writer Almeida Garrett advocates for its preservation, likely finding open doors with ”artist king” Ferdinand. So essentially, what can be visited today is created.
To give the building a purpose, a telegraph office and a lighthouse are installed — this function becomes obsolete when a heavily smoking gas factory opens nearby in the 1860s. It stands there until the World Exhibition in 1940, which is used as an opportunity for major renovations and new constructions. And because the symbolically charged Torre must not be marred by a factory, all the green spaces we see today are gradually created. Inevitably, Salazar’s standard adaptation of historical buildings to ideological ideas takes place. The current status has been UNESCO-protected since 1983, and in the 1990s, there are structural improvements by the heritage authority.
