The Tower of Belém It is one of the most important emblems of Lisbon, and of all of Portugal. This building was built by order of King Manuel I in 1514. He commissioned it to his trusted architect, Francisco de Arruda. The purpose of the tower was to function as a defensive bastion at the entrance to the estuary. Today it is one of the most beautiful monuments in the city and its Manueline forms stand out for their architectural importance.
One of the most important ornaments of the Torre de Belém is a stone rhinoceros that generated a stir at the time of its inauguration and today has remained as one of the urban legends about the construction of the tower.
The rhinoceros
The rhinoceros stone It is a representation of the first rhinoceros that entered Europe alive from the XNUMXrd century BC. The animal ended up revolutionizing the geography of Europe and had a tragic end.
It was 1514 and a czar from India gave Alfonso de Alburquerque, governor of Portuguese India, an elephant and a rhinoceros. The governor was amazed by this last animal and decided to send them to King Manuel I so that he could delight in its beauty.
The two animals arrived in Portugal on May 20, 1515. The elephant was no longer a novelty, but the rhinoceros left the entire retinue astonished. It was the first time that animal had been seen and parties began to be held in its honor for an entire season.
Even Pope Leo X wanted to meet him and Manuel I prepared a procession to take the rhinoceros to the Vatican. Unfortunately the ship where the animal was traveling was wrecked. When the remains of the animal were found, it was already dead.
To immortalize the rhinoceros, the figure that today is in the Torre de Belém was created.