Tomar is, and was, a Templar town. Founded in 1157 by the Grand master of the Order of the Templars in Portugal Gualdim Pais. It is dominated by the 12th century castle containing the Convento de Cristo.
The Templars helped the Portugese in their battle against the Moors, in return the soldier monks were granted extensive lands and political power. In 1314 Pope Clement V supressed this powerful order but in Portugal King Dinis turned it into the Order of Christ, inheriting property and privileges from the Templars. In the 15th century their then Grand master Henry the Navigator used the Orders wealth to explore the world. The emblem of the Order the square cross adorned the sails of the Portuguese Caravels that opened up vast swathes of the world.
The approach through the Castle gate reveals the round tower of the Charola. The original Templar church. Inside the 16 sided tower is the Charola, the 12th century oratory based on the Rotunda of Jerusalems holy sepulchre.
The charola or rotunda is an octagonal set of alters, richly gilded and carved. It has recently been
restored and is a marvellous display. it is surrounded by oil paintings and frescos.
Lynne was a mine of information regarding the content of the pictures, all biblical scenes and of astonishing quality. Mainly 16th century.
I didn't need any help with the picture below, Its the Ascension !
It is difficult to convey a sense of the scale and richness of this room, I think Lynne and I spent nearly an hour walking round and round , discovering something new constantly. It truly is a wonder.
I shot a bit of video of the Charola.
Just outside is the charmingly named cemetery cloister, a beautiful and peaceful spot paved with monks tombstones around the perimeter. Regardless of being their implacable enemy the Moorish influence is obvious in the tiles and water features.
The Great cloister is an Italianate confection with hidden stairways in the corners lead to the roof terrace, known as the Terrace of wax as it was used to dry honeycombs.
This is a good place to observe the famous Manueline window. Late gothic the church building dating from 1510.
If you look closely you can spot the nautical theme topped of course by the orders emblem the square cross.
We spent a long time exploring the inside of the Convent. The individual rooms of the dormitories are individually numbered.
We had a snack in the cafe which also seemed to be 15th century.
But eventually we were tempted to look around the gardens.
Its easy to forget that all this grandeur and immaculate gardens are enclosed by the high walls of the original castle.
Lynne is not overly keen on heights.
But I persuaded her that the views were worth it.
I think that Lynne was quite pleased to get back down to the garden levels. They are certainly a very peaceful place to wander.
A fantastic place to visit, the Convento de Cristo.
We walked down into the town of Tomar and just had time for a quick look around. We looked at the church of Sao Jao Baptista in the main square.
In comparison to the Convent it can seem rather plain but it does have some nice oil paintings, a particularly gruesome beheading of John the Baptist being a highlight
The town is very pretty a central park area by the river is a great place to sit for a coffee.
The local tourist guide will have you believe that the water wheel is of Roman origin, I'm not convinced!
None the less Tomar is well worth the visit, as we drove back to Batalha we were very pleased with our day out.
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