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All Portugal Lisbon Rhinoceros of Belém Tower

Rhinoceros of Belém Tower

A king's pet, a pope's gift, an artist's inspiration, and a tragic shipwreck.

Lisbon, Portugal

Added By
Annetta Black
Email
Been Here
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Added to list
  Mitch Lang / Atlas Obscura User
  Mitch Lang / Atlas Obscura User
Torre de Belem   Hanna Vrielink
  sharondee98 / Atlas Obscura User
Durer’s Rhino   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:D%C3%BCr...
Torre de Belém   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
  rbenn250 / Atlas Obscura User
  luigi40 / Atlas Obscura User
From the water   Carlos Luis M C da Cruz
Rhinoceros  
The tower from the shore   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Torre_Be...
The tower in 1797   http://www.mosteirojeronimos.pt/english/we...
  DronerCT / Atlas Obscura User
Belem Tower, Lisbon   Sue Wolfe / PhotoHound
  mocchiatto / Atlas Obscura User
View from a terrace in Torre de Belem   Violeta / Atlas Obscura User
Torre de Belém - A statue of Our Lady of Safe Homecoming   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
Belem Tower Rhinoceros - Torre de Belém   epfromer / Atlas Obscura User
  Nan Palmero
Tower of Belem from the water   notoriousFIG / Atlas Obscura User
  emmen / Atlas Obscura User
Torre De Belem   jetsettingfools / Atlas Obscura User
Miniature model   Hanna Vrielink
  DronerCT / Atlas Obscura User
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About

The first rhinoceros to set foot on European soil since Roman times did not last long. Surviving the 120-day sea voyage to Portugal, the rhino was a diplomatic gift from India. Arriving in 1515, the Indian rhinoceros was off-loaded near the construction site of the Tower of Belém in Lisbon.

For a few months, it was kept shackled and on display at King Manuel I's Ribeira Palace, where it was used for less-than-sophisticated hijinks: The Portuguese attempted to make the rhino fight an elephant (the elephant wasn't up for it, and walked off). Before long, Manuel grew tired of the rhino and decided to have it shipped off to Pope Leo X, whom he was buttering up for political favors. The year before, Manuel had sent Leo a hugely popular gift of a rare white elephant, which the pope kept as a pet and named Hanno. (Hanno died two years later of constipation—or rather of hair-brained "cures" for elephant constipation.)

Tragically, the rhino never made it to Rome, drowning instead in a shipwreck off the coast of Northern Italy.

Strangely, the short-lived rhino inspired a famous woodcut by the artist Albrecht Dürer, who never saw the animal in person. He based his illustration on secondhand descriptions and a sketch by an unknown artist. The resulting woodcut shows a magnificent beast in riveted armor. Real rhinos being in somewhat short order at the time, this fanciful interpretation of reality became known as "Dürer's Rhinoceros" and went on to inspire dozens of paintings and sculptures across Europe.

Meanwhile, the beautiful Tower of Belém was being built as the third in a series of fortifications designed to protect the natural port of Lisbon. Constructed between 1514 and 1520 of local limestone, the tower is an example of the distinctive Portuguese Manueline style, named for King Manuel I. The style incorporates motifs inspired by the great Age of Discovery and the recent return of Vasco de Gama from explorations to the Far East. Design elements from Morocco, Venice, and India mingle with nautical symbols like rope. The entrance to the tower is marked with carvings of armillary spheres representing Manuel's support of exploration.

The turrets are decorated with carvings of exotic beasts. At the base of one of the turrets, stone carvers immortalized the rhinoceros they saw in 1515, now well worn, but notably lacking the armor of Dürer's interpretation.

The 100-foot tall tower survived the disastrous earthquake of 1755, and has been restored many times. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Related Tags

Animals Statues Architectural Oddities Architecture

Know Before You Go

Buses: 27, 28, 29, 43, 49, 51 e 112 Electric trams: 15 Trains: From Cascais or Cais de Sodre on Cascais Line get out at Belém station Ferries: From Porto Brandaõ on south side of Tagus to Belém

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Community Contributors

Added By

Annetta Black

Edited By

yabutmckinney, gomesleal1, presidentehonesto, Jaszmina Szendrey...

  • yabutmckinney
  • gomesleal1
  • presidentehonesto
  • Jaszmina Szendrey
  • emmen
  • Vrielinkie
  • notoriousFIG
  • jetsettingfools
  • rbenn250
  • epfromer
  • nanpalmero
  • sharondee98
  • Violeta
  • DronerCT
  • luigi40
  • mocchiatto
  • Luka Esenko
  • Mitch Lang
  • DinoBobJr

Published

May 16, 2010

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
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Sources
  • https://violetamatei.com/belem-district-lisbon/
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bel%C3%A9m_Tower
  • http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/263
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durer%27s_Rhinoceros
  • http://jetsettingfools.com/10-free-things-to-do-in-lisbon-portugal/
Rhinoceros of Belém Tower
Avenida da India
Newton Road
Lisbon, 1400-038
Portugal
38.691573, -9.216006
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Jerónimos Monastery

Lisbon, Portugal

miles away

Pastéis de Belém

Lisbon, Portugal

miles away

National Coach Museum

Lisbon, Portugal

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Lisbon

Lisbon

Portugal

Places 37
Stories 1

Nearby Places

Jerónimos Monastery

Lisbon, Portugal

miles away

Pastéis de Belém

Lisbon, Portugal

miles away

National Coach Museum

Lisbon, Portugal

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Lisbon

Lisbon

Portugal

Places 37
Stories 1

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