UNESCO Jerónimos: Criteria and Values

Jerónimos is inscribed for its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) as a masterpiece of the Manueline and as a memorial of global exploration.

📜 Criteria Snapshot

• (ii) Cultural exchange in art and architecture.
• (iv) Outstanding example of a building type.
• (vi) Association with significant events (Age of Discoveries).

Why It Matters (In Plain Terms)

• It’s a benchmark for how navigation changed art.
• It demonstrates a distinctive design language—both exuberant and disciplined.
• It anchors collective memory in a public, teachable monument.

🛡️ Protection and Care

• Legal frameworks and conservation labs oversee treatments.
• Monitoring: moisture, salt efflorescence, and visitor load.
• Materials research: matching lioz limestone; reversible interventions favored.
• Data: crack gauges, micro-climate logs, and footfall counts inform schedules.

Heritage is a living contract—between past craft and present care.

Visitor Commitments (Small Acts, Big Help)

• Keep hands off carved surfaces; oils accelerate grime.
• Follow one-way flows to avoid bottlenecks.
• Respect quiet in sacred areas; conserve acoustic dignity.

[^ouv]: OUV synthesizes distinctive values that resonate beyond national borders.