Tomar

If you walk along the historic streets of Tomar or on the banks of the densely vegetated park bathed in the river, you will never lose sight of the Templar castle.

UNESCO declared this monument "Heritage of Humanity" unique in the history of the West, bearing symbols of Portugal's openness to other civilizations.

Gualdim Pais became Portugal's first Grand Master of the Knights Templar in 1156. In 1157 he founded the city of Tomar, still one of the most evocative Templar places in Europe. Gualdim Pais, chose the top of this mountain to build the fortress. He knew that this was the vertex (corner that connects a number of lines) that connects Earth to the constellation Gemini, the constellation of the Knights Templar. At about this time, work began on the Charola (priest choir), a jewel of religious architecture, which was copied from the temple above the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. The round chapel is unique in the architecture of the order. Most of the chapels are rectangular and follow the style of the regions. The chapel remains an icon to this day, but is actually only a small part of what is one of the largest Templar fortresses in Portugal. The "Convento de Cristo" is today an impressively exuberantly decorated monastery. The Convent is gigantic and is mainly the result of the building boom of the later Order of Christ (Ordem dos Cavaleiros de Cristo), the successors of the Knights Templar in Portugal. Almost the entire castle is walled and equipped with semicircular towers at regular intervals.

Under D.Manuel, this structure would begin a new art form devoted to the sea. The temple church is decorated with drawings and sculptures of exceptional quality. The Chapter House juts out to the west and houses an amazing window. As with an apparition, the entire epic is depicted in stone: waves, ropes, fantastic animals, angels, kings, armillary spheres, Christ's cross.

Because of this, and so many other miraculous elements that this monastery houses, it is certainly worth visiting it and discovering its mysteries.