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Saturday, January 10, 2026
Praça do Império, 1400‑206 Lisboa, Portugal
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Jerónimos Cloister Corners: Craft Micro-Geometries

A close-reading of Jerónimos’ cloister corners—spandrels, turns, and fountain contexts.

1/8/2026
8 min read
Cloister corner fountain and spandrel carvings

Corners are craft theatres—where geometry bends and hands improvise.


🎭 What to Notice

  • Spandrel reliefs catching light.
  • Corner turns where carvers improvise.
  • Motifs compress then expand to navigate tight radii.

Corner fountain—detail theatre


Micro-Exercise

  1. Photograph one corner from three heights (waist, chest, eye).
  2. Compare how motifs stretch and shrink.
  3. Look for a workshop signature: repeated flourish on leaf tips.

Corners are mini essays on geometry and light.

[^turn]: Turn details often encode workshop signatures.

About the Author

Art Historian

Art Historian

As a Lisbon lover and slow‑travel writer, I put this guide together to help you read the monastery’s stone — from voyages and prayers to poetry and the quiet glow of Belém.

Tags

Spandrels
Corners
Cloister
Craft
Detail

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