The Castle of Tomar became the main
headquarters of the Knights Templar not long after the construction
finished. When the Knights Templar were dissolved by Pope Clement
V, Dom Dinis of Portugal negotiated to secure the Templar assets and
fought for recognition for a new order, the Order of Christ, to inherit
them.
Thanks to the intervention of Dom Dinis,
the Castelo Templário and
Convent de Cristo
became the permanent home to the Order of Christ, in 1357.
The
octagonal church (rotunda) of the Castle of Tomar was
completed in the second half of the 12th century and it
is said is based on the architecture of the Dome of the
Rock in Jerusalem, which was mistakenly believed to be
by crusaders to be a remnant of the Temple of Solomon.
The
church has eight large, stone pillars which allowed the
Knights to pray while seated on horseback. One of the
most important Grand Masters of the new Order of Christ,
Prince Henry the Navigator, ordered the construction of
the Claustro de Cemitério (Cemetery Cloister) and the
Claustro da Lavagem (Cloister of Washing) as well as
general improvements to the town of Tomar itself.
However
it was King Manuel I of Portugal, who is most associated
with the
Convento de Cristo.
It was under the orders of the king, who became a grand
master of the Order of Christ in 1484, opulent additions
to the church and convent were added and spawned the
architectural term Manueline. One of the most notable of
these is the Chapterhouse window (Janela do Capitulo)
which is an intricate work of art celebrating the Age of
Discoveries with motifs of coral, ropes and the seal of
the Order of Christ.
The
Convent de Cristo
has eight cloisters which were constructed during the
15th and 16th centuries, each with their own distinctive
style. The Convento also has it's own aqueduct, which
was constructed under the orders of King Felipe I of
Portugal, providing it's own supply of water.
King
Felipe I, also King Filipe II of Spain, was crowned at
the Castle of Tomar in 1581 and ensured the construction
of
Pegões Aqueduct
took twenty years, but as a testimony to it's
construction it still carries water to the Convento
today.
Below
the
Convent de Cristo
and the Castelo Templário is Mata dos Sete Montes (Wood
of the Seven Hills), 39 hectares of forest and gardens
which belonged to the Order of Christ. The land was used
as a retreat by the Order and at the beginning of the
16th century was walled, with irrigation being fed from
Pegoes Aqueduct. Today at the entrance is a statue of
Henry the Navigator and a formal, French style garden
with gravelled paths leading to the forest.
The
Convent de Cristo in
Tomar was added
to the
UNESCO World Heritage list in 1983
and receives thousands of visitors each year to marvel at the mix of
Renaissance, Gothic, Manueline architectural styles.
