Exploring Portugal: Tomar

Founded in the late 12th century by Gualdim de Pais (1118-1195), the fourth Grand Master of the Knights Templar, Tomar was the last Templar town to be commissioned for construction. But both its history and the jewel in its crown, Convento de Cristo (the Convent of the Order of Christ), live on to this day.

The town was built on the remains of the old Roman settlement of Sellium. In 1160, Gualdim de Pais laid the first stone for what was to become the Convent of the Order of Christ, and the Headquarters of the Knights Templar in Portugal.

Our first view of Tomar was not, in fact, the convent, but rather Igreja de São João Baptista (the Church of St John the Baptist). Located in the main square, the Manueline-style church was built in the 15th and 16th centuries. Today it's the town's main church.

Praça da República (Republic Square) with the Igreja de São João Baptista

The main portal

The church tower

Since the Convent of the Order of Christ was what we had come to see, we sacrificed wandering around the town in favour of making the uphill trek to the convent. On the way up we were afforded lovely views of the town and surrounding hills.

View of the town from the hillside

When we finally reached the top, we were greeted by the imposing Round Church. Built in the late 12th century, this Romanesque church is a 16-sided polygon with strong buttresses, rounded windows and a bell tower. It is believed to have been modelled on similar structures in Jerusalem.


Round church



Inside the fortress walls

Eager to start exploring this once secret structure, we hurried towards the distinctly closed entrance to the church. The detail on this gorgeous Manueline creation was incredible and we spent a while trying to capture its beauty. Then, we went in search of an actual entrance, which we soon found in the form of a tiny and completely miss-able doorway.

The Manueline entrance

Close-up of some of the carvings

The servants' entrance?

It's been so long since my visit that I can't remember what I actually photographed once inside. In order to give this post some credibility, I found a map with the names of the cloisters, but when I Googled the names in a bid to match them to my images, I hit an obstacle. Ignorant tourists have uploaded photos and given them the first name that has come to mind. Consequently, Claustro do Cemitério (Cemetery Cloister) could be one of three, depending on whose word you take.

Looking at the map, I realise I did visit Claustro do Cemitério, but for the reason given above, I can't be sure that I have photos of it. Nonetheless, this cloister was to be the first of many. Mere minutes later we entered Claustro do Lavagem (Washing Cloister), one of the few I am sure of. A two-storey Gothic cloister, it was built around 1433 and it got its name, unsurprisingly, from the fact that the monks' robes were washed there.

The rather plain Washing Cloister

Nice, but only nice

After the beauty of the cloisters at Batalha, this one failed to impress, and we quickly moved on. Fortunately, the Romanesque Round Church was everything we'd hoped for and more. The beautiful interior is decorated with late Gothic and Manueline sculpture and paintings, but the low light made it difficult to accurately record it.

Window in the shadows



A taste of the richly-decorated interior

From there, we continued our journey, wandering through sunlit walkways alongside a seemingly endless stream of cloisters. The walkway below forms part of Claustro Príncipal (Main Cloister), which was the magnum opus of the original convent built by King João III of Portugal (r. 1521-1557). In each of the four corners of the cloister is a gorgeous helicoidal staircase, linking the lower and upper storeys.

Sunny solitude



One of the helicoidal staircases

Claustro da Hospedaria (Inn Cloister) was where pilgrims and visitors were received. Horses and servants were housed on the lower floor, while nobles and clergy were accommodated on the upper floor. Walking along the upper storey leads to Claustro de Santa Bárbara (St Barbara's Cloister), from where you can see the convent's most famous window, Janela do Capítulo (Chapter House Window) can be seen.

Looking down on Claustro da Hospedaria

 

The magnificent Janela do Capítulo was designed by the Portuguese sculptor Diogo de Arruda (c. 1490-1531) and added to the west façade of the nave between 1510 and 1513. Built in the Manueline style, it comprises a variety of maritime and imperial motifs, from ropes and knots to crosses and crowns.

 

The famous chapter house window

One of my favourite parts of the experience was simply wandering through the long, covered walkways alongside cloisters of varying degrees of beauty. And the last one I encountered was no exception, although as already said, I can't be sure which cloister it was attached to.

 

Covered walkway

It was slow downhill walk back into town. I would have liked to explore a little more, but we had to get back to our base in Leiria so I contented myself by grabbing a couple of shots of the River Nabão...

Reflections