Shortly after the return of Vasco da Gama from India, king Manuel I ordered the construction of a church and cloister for the Hieronymite religious order as a token of thanks for Portugal's good fortune. The new building was to replace a small church dedicated to sailors. It is said Vasco da Gama prayed here before departing on his voyage to the Indies. The construction of the magnificent monastery was funded with taxes levied on the spices that da Gama's ships brought home.The first stone of the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, also known as the Monastery of St Mary of Belém (Bethlehem), was laid in 1502. Construction was supervised by the Frenchman Diogo Boytac. After his death in 1517 several more architects worked on the monastery, most importantly Joăo de Castilho and later Diogo de Torralva. Construction was finally completed in 1600 under the supervision of architect Jérome de Rouen, son of the renowned French sculptor Jean de Rouen