The Padrão dos Descobrimentos stands proudly on the banks of the Tagus in Lisbon, a striking tribute to Portugal’s Age of Discoveries. Built in 1960 to honour Prince Henry the Navigator and fellow explorers, the monument captures the spirit of a nation that once led the world across uncharted seas.
Portugal played a central role in the Age of Discoveries, a period during the 15th and 16th centuries when European nations began exploring the world by sea. Portuguese navigators were among the first to venture beyond known horizons, opening maritime routes to Africa, Asia, and the Americas. These voyages not only expanded geographical knowledge but also shaped global trade, culture, and history. To honour their legacy, a monument was erected in Lisbon — the Padrão dos Descobrimentos, or Monument to the Discoveries — celebrating the vision and achievements of this remarkable era.
The monument stands in Belém, Lisbon, on the northern bank of the River Tagus, near the spot from which many of Portugal’s great maritime expeditions once set sail. It commemorates the Age of Discoveries, when Portuguese navigators explored the coasts of Africa, Asia and the Americas, establishing Portugal as a major global power. It was first created as a temporary structure in 1940 for the Portuguese World Exhibition. Due to its popularity, it was rebuilt in stone and inaugurated in 1960, marking the 500th anniversary of the death of Prince Henry the Navigator (Infante Dom Henrique). Henry stands at the front of the monument holding a model of a caravel, symbolising leadership and exploration. At the base of the monument, on the square, is a large mosaic wind rose and world map, a gift from South Africa, illustrating the routes taken by Portuguese explorers across the globe. The Padrão dos Descobrimentos serves as both a symbol of national pride and a reminder of Portugal’s complex maritime legacy.
Historical figures important for the Portuguese discoveries like Vasco da Gama, Magellan, Cabral, and others follow Prince Henry the Navigator. He is standing at the prow, holding a small vessel in hand. Padrão dos Descobrimentos or simply Discoveries Monument in Lisbon, Portugal.
The monument itself is shaped like the prow of a ship and rises 52 metres high. Behind Henry, arranged on both sides, are 33 figures representing key people from the Age of Discoveries, including explorers, captains, missionaries, scientists, cartographers, chroniclers, and members of the royal family – all of whom played significant roles in Portugal’s maritime expansion. They all are led be Prince Henry the Navigator.
Prince Henry the Navigator (1394-1460), or to be precise Infante Henrique of Portugal, Duke of Viseu was a son of a Portuguese king. The nickname Navigator was given to him centuries after his death to underline his leading role for the European Age of Discoveries. But in fact, he was never a sailor. He was an enthusiast of discovering new territories and new trade routes skilled enough to organize and finance the explorations. He paid cartographers from Italian cities that already traded with the Middle East and Asia (using land routes) to draw the most actual world maps (for that time, of course). He also set up an academy that trained sailors. He helped to claim new territories for the Portuguese crown and promoted trade with Africa and India. At first, the funds for explorations came mainly from the Military Order of Christ (the successors of Templars in Portugal, with the seat in Tomar). Later on, his elderly brother, the king of Portugal, granted him a share in trade profits, which he, in turn, used for funding new undertakings. The discoveries, although detrimental for the native populations in newly claimed territories, brought for years welfare to the Portuguese crown.
On the monument on his left hand side (people you can see on my photo), there are: Afonso V of Portugal (king of Portugal, known as “the African” for his military campaigns in Morocco), Vasco da Gama (navigator, discovered the sea route to India in 1498), Afonso Baldaia (navigator, early explorer of the West African coast under Prince Henry the Navigator), Pedro Álvares Cabral (navigator, officially discovered Brazil in 1500), Ferdinand Magellan (Fernão de Magalhães) (navigator, led the first circumnavigation of the globe, although he died during the voyage), Nicolau Coelho (navigator, accompanied Vasco da Gama and Cabral on their voyages to India and Brazil), Gaspar Corte-Real (navigator, explored the Labrador Peninsula in present-day Canada), Martim Afonso de Sousa (navigator, led early colonizing efforts in Brazil and founded São Vicente), João de Barros (chronicler and historian, wrote detailed accounts of Portuguese discoveries and conquests), Estêvão da Gama (captain, son of Vasco da Gama, involved in expeditions in India), Bartolomeu Dias (navigator, first to sail around the Cape of Good Hope in 1488), Diogo Cão (navigator, explored the west coast of Africa and reached the Congo River), António de Abreu (navigator, led an expedition to the Spice Islands, present-day Indonesia), Afonso de Albuquerque (viceroy of India and governor, key figure in establishing Portuguese dominance in the Indian Ocean), Saint Francis Xavier (São Francisco Xavier) (missionary and evangelizer, co-founder of the Jesuits, active in Asia), Cristóvão da Gama (captain, son of Vasco da Gama, led a military expedition to Ethiopia and died in battle).
On his right hand side, there are: Infante D. Fernando (the Holy Prince) (son of King João I of Portugal, participated in the failed Tangier expedition, captured and died in captivity, later revered as a martyr),
João Gonçalves Zarco (navigator, co-discoverer of the Madeira archipelago and early colonizer), Gil Eanes (navigator, first to successfully round Cape Bojador in 1434, breaking a major psychological barrier of maritime exploration), Pêro de Alenquer (navigator and pilot, took part in Bartolomeu Dias’s and Vasco da Gama’s expeditions), Pedro Nunes (mathematician and cosmographer, advanced navigation science and invented the nonius for precise measurements), Pêro Escobar (navigator and pilot, participated in the discovery of the Gulf of Guinea and the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe),
Jácome de Maiorca (cosmographer, mapmaker from Majorca known for contributing to nautical cartography in Portugal), Pêro da Covilhã (traveller and diplomat, sent on a secret mission to the East before the sea route to India was discovered, reached Ethiopia), Gomes Eanes de Zurara (chronicler, wrote the Crónica da Guiné, detailing early Portuguese exploration and conquests in Africa), Nuno Gonçalves (painter, attributed with the Saint Vincent Panels, considered masterpieces of Portuguese art), Luís Vaz de Camões (epic poet, author of Os Lusíadas, Portugal’s national literary epic glorifying the Age of Discoveries), Friar Henrique de Coimbra (Franciscan missionary, celebrated the first mass in Brazil with Cabral’s fleet), Friar Gonçalo de Carvalho (Dominican friar, missionary who traveled to Asia and was involved in evangelization efforts), Fernão Mendes Pinto (writer and adventurer, author of Peregrinação, chronicling his travels in Asia with a mix of fact and fiction), Queen Philippa of Lancaster (Dona Filipa de Lencastre) (English-born queen of Portugal, wife of King João I, mother of the “Illustrious Generation” of princes), Infante D. Pedro, Duke of Coimbra (son of King João I, regent of Portugal, humanist, traveler, and promoter of culture and knowledge).
