Convent of Christ — Attraction in Tomar

Wrapped in splendour and mystery, the Knights Templar held enormous power in Portugal from the 12th to 16th centuries, and largely bankrolled the Age of Discoveries. Their headquarters sit on wooded slopes above the town and are enclosed within 12th-century walls. The Convento de Cristo is a stony expression of magnificence, founded in 1160 by Gualdim Pais. It has chapels, cloisters and choirs in diverging styles, added over the centuries by successive kings and Grand Masters.

The Charola, the extraordinary 16-sided Templar church, thought to be in imitation of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, dominates the complex. Its eastern influences give it a very different feel to most Portuguese churches; the interior is otherworldly in its vast heights – an awesome combination of simple forms and rich embellishment. It’s said that the circular design enabled knights to attend Mass on horseback. In the centre stands an eerily Gothic high altar, while wall paintings date from the early 16th century. A huge funnel to the left is an ancient organ pipe (the organ itself is long gone).

Dom Manuel was responsible for tacking the nave on to the west side of the Charola and for commissioning a two-level choir. The coro alto (upper choir) is a fabulous Manueline work, with intricate decor on the vaulting and windows. The main western doorway into the nave is a splendid example of Spanish plateresque style.

Seeming to have grown from the wall, the Janela Manuelina (Manueline Window) on the church's western side is the most famous and fantastical feature of the monastery. It’s the ultimate in Manueline extravagance, a celebration of the Age of Discoveries: a Medusa tangle of snaking ropes, seaweed and cork boats, atop of which floats the Cross of the Order of Christ and the royal arms and armillary spheres of Dom Manuel. It’s best seen from the roof of the adjacent Claustro de Santa Bárbara. Follow signs to the janela. Unfortunately obscured by the Claustro Principal is an almost-equivalent window on the southern side of the church.

Two serene, azulejo-decorated cloisters to the east of the Charola were built during the time when Prince Henry the Navigator was Grand Master of the order in the 15th century. The Claustro do Cemitério (Burial-Ground Cloisters) contains two 16th-century tombs and pretty citrus trees, while the two-storey Claustro da Lavagem (Ablutions Cloisters) affords nice views of the crenellated ruins of the Templars’ original castle.

The elegant Renaissance Claustro Principal (Great Cloisters) stands in striking contrast to the flamboyance of the monastery’s Manueline architecture. Commissioned during the reign of João III, the cloisters were probably designed by the Spaniard Diogo de Torralva but completed in 1587 by an Italian, Filippo Terzi. These foreign architects were among several responsible for introducing a delayed Renaissance style into Portugal. The Claustro Principal is arguably the country’s finest expression of that style: a sober ensemble of Greek columns and pillars, gentle arches and sinuous,...

The Convent of Christ (Convento de Cristo) in Tomar is an extraordinarily unique and complex UNESCO World Heritage site, fundamentally defined by its profound historical connection to the Knights Templar and their successors, the Order of Christ. It's not merely a single building but a vast architectural ensemble that evolved over several centuries, showcasing a remarkable blend of architectural styles.

Its most iconic and unique element is the Charola, the original 12th-century Templar rotunda church. This circular, fortified oratory was inspired by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and served as the spiritual heart of the Knights. Its unique design and rich 16th-century frescoes are unparalleled.

Beyond the Charola, the convent is a living architectural textbook, featuring a stunning array of styles including Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Mannerist, and especially the uniquely Portuguese Manueline. The Chapter House Window (Janela do Capítulo) is a world-renowned masterpiece of Manueline art, with intricate carvings of maritime motifs, ropes, and symbols of the Age of Discoveries. The complex also boasts eight cloisters, each with its own distinct character, demonstrating the evolution of architectural design over centuries. This fusion of a powerful military order's headquarters with evolving architectural grandeur and profound historical significance makes the Convent of Christ an...

This place is enormous, as we discovered when searching for the restrooms, which were all the way at the "end." It's a little underwhelming at the start as you first visit the areas just adjacent to the old castle, which are rather old and seem a bit run down. The convent was built up over time as a series of additions to the Knights Templar castle. I don't believe there is a way to pass from one to the other within the convent/monastery, and the castle was closed for renovations when we were there. The castle grounds are open to the public and worth a visit, but we had to access them from outside of the monastery from a separate entrance off of the parking lot. You eventually get to tour the church, dining hall, cells, kitchen, etc. There are tons of courtyards, gardens, and fountains. The most interesting parts to us were the rows and rows of cells, the dining hall, and the kitchen areas. It was interesting to get to see how they lived. Some of the ruined / unfinished portions were interesting as well. It is not a quick trip, so plan to spend some time there. I'm not usually big on religious sites, but it was an interesting stop. There were not a lot of staff there, so we wandered around and found some interesting areas - some that weren't lit and we had to use our camera flashlights to...