![old tower winfo old tower winfo](https://www.myabandonware.com/media/screenshots/t/tower-ncj/tower_1.jpg)
The tower was designed by military architect Francisco de Arruda, named "Master of the works of the Belém stronghold" by King Manuel, and in 1516 he began receiving 763 blocks and 504 stones for its construction, delivered by Diogo Rodrigues, treasurer for the project. The project was started on a basaltic rock outcrop a short distance from the riverbank, using some of the stone being collected to build the Monastery of Santa Maria de Belém. In 1513, Lourenço Fernandes wrote a letter to his friends referring to the king's intention of constructing a tower near Restelo Velho, having determined it to be essential. King Manuel I of Portugal revisited the proposal twenty years later and ordered the construction of a military fortification on the northern margin of the Tagus at Belém. To this end, he ordered the "making of a strong fort", but died before any plans were drawn. Joao II), which appeared in 1545, the author Garcia de Resende affirmed the king's opinion that the defences of Lisbon were inadequate, and that he had insisted on building fortifications along the entrance to the River Tagus to supplement the existing defences. In his "Chronicle of John II" ( Chronica de D. These fortresses did not completely protect the river's mouth, and further protection was required. In the late 15th century, King John II had designed a defence system for the mouth of the Tagus that depended on the fortresses of Cascais and São Sebastião (or Torre Velha) in Caparica on the south side of the river. The tower was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 and included in the registry of the Seven Wonders of Portugal in 2007. In fact, the tower was built on a small island in the Tagus river near the Lisbon shore. It has incorrectly been stated that the tower was built in the middle of the Tagus and now sits near the shore because the river was redirected after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.
![old tower winfo old tower winfo](https://img-new.cgtrader.com/items/42261/d73b249ce2/old-tower-in-a-forest-3d-model-max.jpg)
It is often portrayed as a symbol of Europe's Age of Discoveries and as a metonym for Portugal or Lisbon, given its landmark status. Since 1983, the tower has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the Jerónimos Monastery.
![old tower winfo old tower winfo](https://rlhf.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/milliken.jpg)
The structure was built from lioz limestone and is composed of a bastion and a 30-metre (98.4 ft), four-storey tower. It was built during the height of the Portuguese Renaissance, and is a prominent example of the Portuguese Manueline style, but it also incorporates hints of other architectural styles. Belém Tower (Portuguese: Torre de Belém, pronounced ), officially the Tower of Saint Vincent (Portuguese: Torre de São Vicente) is a 16th-century fortification located in Lisbon that served as a point of embarkation and disembarkation for Portuguese explorers and as a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon.