João de Castilho is one of the fundamental names in Manueline art, where he introduced the language of plateresque. Born in Merindad de Trasmiera, Cantabria, around 1470, he apprenticed in the building yards of the Burgos and Seville cathedrals.
In 1508, he came to Portugal, called by the Archbishop of Braga, D. Diogo de Sousa, to build a new chancel for the Primate Cathedral, a work in which the first lierne vaulted ceiling in Portugal was designed. In Braga, he also worked on the Mother Church of Caminha, the Church of São João Baptista in Vila do Conde and the Monastery of São Salvador de Vilar de Frades.
The reputation achieved in the Archdiocese of Braga was not indifferent to King Manuel I, who called him to work with him in the renovation of the Convent of Christ, in Tomar, in 1515, where he executed the south portal of the Manueline temple, as well as the vault of the high choir, finishing the works started by Diogo de Arruda.
In the following year, he began work on the Jerónimos Monastery, taking charge of the works until 1530, where he was responsible for the south portal and many of the convent’s outbuildings. During this period, he was also called upon to collaborate in the renovation work on the Alcobaça Monastery and the Batalha Monastery.
Switching from Tardogothic to Renaissance art, he returned to the Convent of Christ in 1532, where he worked on the Chapter House, as well as the cloisters of Santa Bárbara, Hospedaria, Micha, Corvos, and Necessárias. He was also responsible for the Charolinha (private oratory for the Knights) in the convent’s woods, as well as the Hermitage of Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Our Lady of the Conception), also in the city of Tomar.
It is also worth noting his passage through Freixo-de-Espada à Cinta, a town where he lived for two years and where he married, besides playing a fundamental role in the introduction of Manueline art. João de Castilho died in 1552, and is considered the most important master-architect who worked in Portugal during the 16th century.