Trifter

The members of the Order of Temple helped the Portuguese fight the Moors in the XIIth and XIIth centuries. As a set-off against their effective aid, they received lands and acquired a certain political power. The soldier-monks built many castles, churches and towns in Portugal. In 1307, French King Philip IV the Fair in debt with the Order, arrested, tortured and burned the Templars at the stake and in 1312, Pope Clement V disbanded this powerful and rich order. King Dinis of Portugal welcomes the survivors and gives them another name: The Order of Christ, that inherits the wealth and privileges of the Knights Templar. The ideals of Christian expansion knew another glorious time when the Grand Master Henry the Navigator, invested the Order’s fortune in the explorations. The Cross of the Order of Christ decorated the sails of caravels crossing the oceans and seas.

  The castle of Tomar with the Convent of Christ inside.

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Tomar was chosen in 1156 as headquarters of the Order of the Knights Templar and the Convent of Christ was founded in 1162. Gualdim Pais, the third Grand Master erected a keep on top of the hill. It will then be completed by a 16-side polygonal rotunda called “Charola”. This was the oratory of the Order in the XIIth century and the heart of the monastery. Its plan was inspired by the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and the Mosque of Omar. The inside presents a central octogonal structure with altars all around.

The rotunda as seen from the outside. On the left, the Manueline church.

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The inner decoration of the rotunda, added in 1499 by King Manuel I, reflects the wealth of the Order of Christ whose headquarters are located in Tomar in 1356. The magnificent paintings and frescoes of the XVIth century featuring biblical scenes as well as the statues under the cupola were very carefully restored.

Inside of the rotunda.

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Under Henry the Navigator, Grand Master in 1418, cloisters were constructed between the rotunda and the Knights Templar stronghold. King Manuel I had the nave of the church rebuilt in a late Gothic/Renaissance style that bears his name: Manueline style. The architects Joao de Castillo and Diego de Arruda decorated the church and cloisters with a profusion of unprecedented Manueline decorations culminating in the Chapter House Window. This amazing window brims over with abundant motifs of ropes, chains, octopus and corals, all recalling the Age of Discoveries. It is even topped with the cross of the Order of Christ whilst two armillary spheres can be seen on each side and the architect underneath the window.

The famous Chapter House Manueline window.

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The eight cloisters show the evolution of art in Tomar. The Cloister of Dom Joao III by Diego de Torralva is the masterpiece of Mannerist style in Portugal and reflects the passion of the King for Italian art. The monks could reach the church trough the dormitory. The works began in 1557 and ended in 1591. 

Cloister of Dom Joao III.

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Cloister of the Cemetery where the tomb of the brother of Vasco da Gama can be found. It is decorated with “azulejos”, typical blue tiles of the XVIth century.

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The symbolic Portal of the Manueline church.

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On the East bank of the Nabao River, the Gothic church of Santa Maria do Olival (XIIth century) houses the tomb of Gualdim Pais who died in 1195, and other Grand Masters of the Order of Temple. A secret passageway is said to connect the edifice to the castle. It used to be the mother church of seafarers at the Age of Discoveries. It is in 1834 that the Order of Christ was extinguished. The Convent of Christ in Tomar is the most visited monument in Portugal and listed a World Heritage site since 1983.