My walk on the camino led me through the town Tomar, about 140 km North of Lisbon. It’s a pretty small city, but one of the bigger ones during my trip. There is also enough to see and do for a day, so I planned an extra day here. Things didn’t go according to plan of course and unfortunately I only had a few afternoon hours in this pretty town. It was just enough to get an impression and visit the incredibly beautiful castle of the knights Templar.
Tomar is full of history, mainly because it was the seat of the order of the knights Templar. On a hill on the side of the center you can find a gorgeous piece of 12th century architecture: the convent of Christ. Alongside of it is a big park with good views of the city. From the back of it, you can see the old aquaduct. If you walk for another 2,5 km you can even find more impressive remnants of this construction, that can even be accessed. Sadly I didn’t have the time to walk out there, but my time at the castle was magical!
Entering the convent was like some sort of mix of Hogwarts and King Arthur. The castle is in such good shape and it breathes mystery. The knights Templar, symbolized by a red cross, were basically the military of the Christians, playing a big role in the crusades. After a while the knights lost a few battles and their influence in the South East dwindled. On top of that some dirty politics were played and accusations were made claiming blasphemy within the order and so it was banned by the pope in the 14th century. A lot of the Templars ended up in a new order, called the order of Christ, and Tomar was turned into a headquarters, hence the convent of Christ. The Templar’s order, although historical and real, is the stuff myths and legends are made of and this castle is the perfect backdrop for a good story.
Everything is grand, from the massive, decorated doors to the staircase. I walk through a small ticket office into a little garden. I remember doing the same in a monastery in Belem and being disappointed that the cloisters was pretty much all I could visit. So I take my time walking around the square garden before I find out that there is more, much more. Next up is an incredible church. It’s a round room with a super high ceiling. It’s covered in paintings and sculptures and there is an extravagant kind of altar that looks like a big open column right in the middle of the room. I walk around in awe of the overwhelming decoration in this grey building.
It’s only about an hour before closing time when I’m at the convent, so I need to move on and explore. The castle’s rooms are connected in many ways, but most staircases are closed so that people don’t get too lost. The inner courtyard is very big, completely tiled, a fountain in the middle and decorated in many shades of white and grey. The more you look, the more small details you see, like small sculptures on the pillars and capitals and elegant twists in the staircases.
There are more rooms and another courtyard. Underneath it are the cisterns. You can descent some small stairs and enter the damp room, although there is no water. It’s a big spooky and yet very alluring place. I loved the colors of the curvy ceiling.
Perhaps the masterpiece of the building is the Manueline window that can be seen from one of the cloisters. The Manueline style was developed when the Portugese were sailing away discovering new worlds and therefore incorporates maritime images such as ropes or corals. The order of Christ played a big part in financing the voyages, so you can also see religious symbols like crosses. The style is highly decorative and it looks like they’ve framed a window with towers and crosses, resembling a classical castle.
The castle has aged well and it’s now on the list of Unesco world heritage. I’m glad this beauty will be preserved. There aren’t many places where you can walk into a fairytale, but here you can. The lichens and moss on the outside just make this building more mysterious and it adds to the feeling of age. This building has survived and even grown through the ages. It truly is a masterpiece and I am so glad I got to see it. My time in Tomar was limited, but I’m glad I didn’t miss this!
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