Tomb of Camoes - Jerónimos Monastery - Portugal

LUÍS VAZ DE CAMÕES (c.1524 - June 10, 1580) is often considered to be the greatest poet of the Portuguese language and of the greatest of Humanity. His genius is comparable to that of Virgil, Dante, Cervantes, or Shakespeare. Of his works, the epic Os Lusíadas is the most significant. He died at 56 years of age.

Tomb in rectangular marble representing a skiff. Richly decorated in the Manueline style, with allegories alluding to art. Encasing the urn, a tabletop with a life-size sculpture of Camoes lying down, dressed in period costume, flanked by a sword. The two palms together in a prayer format. Golden inscriptions identify the tomb. The whole set is supported by six sculptures of lions. In fact the tomb is a cenotaph. After the earthquake of 1755, which destroyed most of Lisbon, attempts were made to rediscover the remains of Camões, all of them frustrated. The skeleton that was deposited in 1880 in the tomb at the Jerónimos Monastery is, in all likelihood, someone else's

Cenotaph: Monument erected to the memory of the deceased, but not enclosing the body.