In 1960, on the occasion of the commemoration of 500 years since the death of Prince Henry the Navigator, the monument was reconstructed in concrete and rose-tinted Leiria stone, with sculptures made of Sintra limestone masonry. Discoveries Monument, built on the north bank of the Tagus river, the place from where boats embarked on exploring unknown seas and lands from the 14th century onwards. The Jerónimos Monastery forms the backdrop and Belém Tower made the most of the symbolic relationship between Portugal and the River Tagus.
It represents a three-sailed ship ready to depart, with sculptures of important historical figures such as King Manuel I carrying an armillary sphere, poet Camoes holding verses from The Lusiads, Vasco da Gama, Magellan, Cabral, and several other notable Portuguese explorers, crusaders, monks, cartographers, and cosmographers, following Prince Henry the Navigator at the prow holding a small vessel. The only female is queen Felipa of Lancaster, mother of Henry the navigator, the brain of the discoveries.
