It began to be built in 1501, replacing an earlier church on the same place, dedicated to Saint Mary of Bethlehem (Belém). To occupy the monastery, King Manuel I chose the monks of the Order of St Jerome , whose duties were to pray for the soul of the King and offering spiritual guidance to the sailors and navigators who embarked from the beach at Restelo to discover other worlds. The main façade of the building is over three hundred metres long and was built from Lioz limestone - it is commonly considered to be the "jewel" of the Manueline style and a symbol of the golden age of Portuguese Maritime Discoveries. Manueline is an exclusively Portuguese decorative style that includes architectural elements from the late Gothic and the Renaissance, associated with royal, Christological and naturalist symbols (crosses of Christ, armillary spheres, ships, caravels, African animals, etc.).

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