Tomar

This is, for me, the main attraction in Tomar. The castle/monastery was founded in the early 12th century by the Order of the Poor Knights of the Temple, the Knights Templar. In the 13th century, Tomar became the seat or main headquarters of the entire order.
When the Knights Templar Order was dissolved in the middle of the 14th century and at the urging of the king of Portugal, a new order, the Order of Christ, was proclaimed by the Pope. In Portugal, the members and assets of the Templars were transfered to the new order. The Templar fortress became the Convent of Christ and headquarters of the new order.
This is an incredibly spectacular space, so much so that it has been the setting for many movies. In fact, filming was in progress during my visit. So significant parts of the convent were closed. Oh well.
The 1st picture is the main gate. The next 5 pictures are various cloisters scattered throughout the convent. I don't think I've ever seen a monastery with more than one cloister. Here are 5, and others were in the closed section. The 2nd picture catches a corner of the church (see another post) above th cloister. The 3rd picture is the hospitality cloister for pilgrims, clergy, traveling brothers, etc. Social standing determined which floor one was lodged. Higher standing, higher floor.
The 7th picture is the church (see another post), and the 8th picture is the ornate Manueline window. This open into the chapter house (closed). The Manueline decorations, named for King Manuel I, celebrate the age of discovery.
The 9th picture is an arched hallway in the convent.Read more