The Manueline, occasionally known as Portuguese late Gothic, is the sumptuous, composite Portuguese architectural style originating in the 16th century, during the Portuguese Renaissance and Age of Discoveries. Manueline architecture incorporates maritime elements and representations of the discoveries brought from the voyages of Vasco da Gama and Pedro Álvares Cabral. This innovative style synthesizes aspects of Late Gothic Flamboyant architecture with original motifs and influences of the Plateresque, Mudéjar, Italian, and Flemish architecture. It marks the transition from Late Gothic to Renaissance. The construction of churches and monasteries in Manueline was largely financed by proceeds of the lucrative spice trade with Africa and India.
The Tower of Belém in Lisbon is one of the most representative examples of Manueline style.
Manueline ornamentation in the cloisters of Jerónimos Monastery, Belém (Lisbon)
Former royal palace in Évora
The window of the Convent of Christ in Tomar is a well-known example of Manueline style.
The Portuguese Renaissance refers to the cultural and artistic movement in Portugal during the 15th and 16th centuries. Though the movement coincided with the Spanish and Italian Renaissances, the Portuguese Renaissance was largely separate from other European Renaissances and instead was extremely important in opening Europe to the unknown and bringing a more worldly view to those European Renaissances, as at the time the Portuguese Empire spanned the globe.
Francisco de Arruda's Belém Tower is one of the most emblematic architectural pieces of the Portuguese Renaissance.
The classical side portal of the Old Cathedral of Coimbra, by João de Ruão
The façade of the Church of Nossa Senhora da Graça, by Miguel de Arruda
The manueline façade of the Monastery of Santa Cruz, by Diogo de Boitaca