Tomar: part ii

The gridded streets of the old town converge on the central Praça da República.

Here stands an elegant seventeenth-century town hall, a ring of houses of the same period and the church of São João Baptista, remarkable for its octagonal belfry, elaborate Manueline doorway and six religious panels attributed to Gregório Lopes, one of the finest artists to emerge from the so-called "Portuguese School" of the sixteenth century.

Nearby is an excellently preserved fifteenth-century synagogue*, now the Museu Luso-Hebraico Abraham Zacuto, named after the Spanish astronomer, Abraham Zacuto, who prepared navigational aids for Vasco da Gama. Its stark interior, with plain vaults supported by four slender columns, houses a collection of thirteenth- to fourteenth-century Hebraic inscriptions, but the interest lies more in its very survival in a town dominated for so long by crusading Christian Defenders of the Faith. In 1496 Dom Manuel followed the example of the Catholic Kings of Spain and ordered the conversion or expulsion of all Portuguese Jews. The synagogue at Tomar was one of the very few to survive so far south

* and the very first I have visited, which makes it much more special.

Lastly, one more town image deserves to be added for the mere reason that it's unvisited, slightly remote and generally a pleasure to the eye: the out-of-the-city-centre church of St. Maria dos Olivais - next to which archaeological works are still in progress.

Out of town, the highlight is the stunning seventeenth-century Aqueduto Pegões, built to supply the convent with water.

Walking to this place was the best choice for a Saturday morning and, oh boy, that was definitely worth! Here's why: the very first aqueduct I got to climb on, and enough to get me feeling the wind's breeze instilling a sense of ... well, take-off!
To sum it up, this was a great place to spend the 50h we've dedicated and possibly a place to return. A reminder is however useful: bring along some extra memory for the photos - it'll be missed!
Once again, guiding lines picked up from here.
And, once again, extra photos are located here.

Tomar: part i

The Convento de Cristo at Tomar, 34km east of Fátima, is an artistic tour de force which entwines the most outstanding military, religious and imperial strands in the history of Portugal. The Order of the Knights Templar* and their successors, the Order of Christ, established their headquarters here and successive Grand Masters employed experts in Romanesque, Manueline and Renaissance architecture to embellish and expand the convent in a manner worthy of their power, prestige and wealth.
In addition, Tomar is a handsome small town in its own right, well worth a couple of days of slow exploration. Built on a simple grid plan, it is split in two by the Rio Nabão, with almost everything of interest on the west bank. Here, Tomar's old quarters preserve much of their traditional charm, with whitewashed, terraced cottages lining narrow cobbled streets that frame the convent above.

* See Dom Gualdim Pais (1118 – 1195), founder of the Castle of Tomar in 1160, here.

This is what my Rough Guide told me, and yes, the tingly sensation of excitement was prompt to arrive whilst embarking the train;
the great wheather, the friendliness of the locals and the affordable prices have all been happiness-inducing factors and, for things to get even better, the city seemed to have a rather small density of tourists per square km, giving the photo-freak in me plenty of space and time to collect them images:
Unfortunately, the Charola of the Knights Templar [the 'sacred heart of the whole complex, also known as the Rotunda or Templars' Apse'] constituted the subject of repairs at the time of our visit, so I couldn't even glance at it, let alone photograph it.
Nonetheless, I could catch the ex libris of the place, the Manueline style window (left, below), as well as the old cloister (right, below), as you may note:

Whilst writing these notes, selecting only a few images seems almost wrong and definitely difficult, as I keep focusing and being absorbed by the Convent and its many thought/admiration-enticing details, despite it not having been my intention;







... that's only because of its grand and overwhelming architecture and level of detail, which doesn't allow the easy passage to other features of the city; here's my only solution: Tomar will have a second dedicated post.

For (a few) more images, take a look here.