Restoration of the Jerónimos Monastery cloister

With the conservation of the Jerónimos Monastery cloister, the World Monuments Fund (WM F) completes its second major project in Portugal in partnership with its Portuguese national affiliate and the Portuguese Institute for Architectural Heritage (IPPAR). This pioneering and fruitful public-private collaboration has been made possible through the Robert W. Wilson Challenge to Conserve Our Heritage, a program that enables WMF to match funds with local partners around the world, and through the hard work of WMF Portugal and good will of IPPAR in committing itself to work together with outside partners to ensure that Portugal's rich heritage is preserved.
The work on the prestigious Manueline monuments of Portugal was undertaken with the goal of setting a standard for the conservation of these special buildings, whose stone materials are affected by industrial pollution and salt –laden winds. The work on the Tower of Belem -WMF's first Portuguese project -helped establish the methodology for the restoration of the Jerónimos Monastery cloister, and, now, with this publication, we are able to document a body of work that will have direct relevance for the future restoration of stone monuments in Portugal and beyond.

Bonnie Burnham