Introduction
Belém Tower (Torre de Belém), officially the Tower of Saint Vincent, is a 16th-century fortification built between 1514 and 1520 in the Manueline style by architect Francisco de Arruda on the northern bank of the Tagus River in Lisbon. It originally served as a point of embarkation for explorers and as a fortress protecting the harbor and the nearby Jerónimos Monastery, and it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. Today it is one of Lisbon's most iconic landmarks, offering visitors ornate limestone architecture and views over the Tagus River from its terrace.