‏‏‎ Tomb of Luís de Camões

Luís de Camões was born in 1524, the son of Simão Vaz de Camões and Ana de Sá Macedo, and went on to study in Coimbra. In Ceuta, where he fought against the Moors, he lost an eye. Back in Lisbon, he was imprisoned in 1552 for an altercation with a court functionary. In 1553 he was pardoned by the king and left for India, where he took part in several military expeditions. According to some historians, Camões wrote the first canto of his epic poem The Lusiads during this period. In Macau he was appointed chief warrant officer, charged with managing the properties of missing and deceased soldiers. In 1569 he returned to Lisbon, where he published The Lusiads three years later. He died on 10 June 1580 in poverty.

In 1880 the remains of Vasco da Gama and the poet Luís de Camões were transferred to the Jerónimos Monastery. Their tombs, made by the sculptor Costa Mota, are now in the lower choir of the Monastery's church. Vasco da Gama (on the left-hand side) and Luís de Camões (on the right-hand side) were the two most important representatives of this epic period in Portuguese history. Thanks to this, they were given the honour of a final resting place amongst kings.