Activities
A Visit to Tomar by Mafalda Possolo
The aim of our May outing to Tomar was, understandably, a visit to the Convento de Cristo, the home of the Order of Knights Templar and its successor, the Order of Christ. Standing on the banks of the river Nabão, Tomar is, however, an attractive town in its own right and certainly deserves a visit.
Our Lisbon contingent, reduced this time to three members, was soon increased when they met up with the Estoril group and the coach, now with its full complement, set off to Tomar on what was certainly the hottest day of the year so far.
The Knights Templar were a religious and a military order, their main objective in this part of the world being to expel the Moors or “Infidels” from the Iberian Peninsula, but by the time the reconquest of Portugal was completed in 1249 they had reaped enormous rewards for their services, owning great tracts of land and many castles throughout the Peninsula, and representing a powerful political challenge to the reigning monarchs. In France the King suppressed the Order and confiscated all their properties and in the various kingdoms of Spain the knights were also pursued by the authorities, seeking refuge with their brothers in Portugal.
The Portuguese King D. Dinis reconstituted the Order in 1320 under a different title, the Order of the Knights of Christ. He transferred the Templars’ wealth to the new Order, but its power was now subjected to the King. These changes explain in part the diversity of architectural styles to be found in the Convento de Cristo, ranging from the 12th to the 18th century . The Templars’ spiritual strength was an important part of their military effort and the “sacred” heart of their 12th century stronghold was undoubtedly the Charola, the original circular church, also known as the Rotunda or Templars’ Apse. This has undergone considerable restoration work and although this is still in progress it is already possible to see much of the primitive decoration in all its early glory.
The window on the main outer façade of the chapter house is perhaps the best-known feature of the convent. It is Manueline in style and has a wide range of maritime motifs. Many of our group, who have always seen this as something of a work of homage to Portugal’s maritime discoveries, were surprised to be told that the latest interpretation sees the whole of this façade, including the great rounded buttresses on either side, as a representation of the tree of Jesse, flanked by the powers of heaven on the left-hand buttress and the earthly powers on the right.
Another surprise, for those of us who had thought unpopular the 16th century accession of the Spanish kings to the Portuguese throne, was to learn that Philip II of Spain was in fact acclaimed king by the people, here in the Convent of Christ.
After our visit to this great fortress-convent we made our way to Ferreira do Zézere, where we had a very pleasant lunch in the Estalagem Lago Azul, with a lovely view overlooking the Castelo de Bode reservoir.
Our last place of call was at the small lakeside town of Dornes, where we climbed through the steep streets on an extremely hot afternoon to visit the tiny church of Nossa Senhora do Pranto or das Dores. It is said that the statue of a weeping Virgin holding in her arms the body of her crucified son now placed above the high altar was found by a huntsman riding nearby, so giving the name to the town. On the north wall of the church is a beautifully painted and gilded 18th century baroque organ of Portuguese manufacture. This was lovingly restored at the end of the 20th century and can be heard most Sundays at the mid-day Mass.
The Romans panned for gold in the River Zézere and built a lookout tower and gold collection post on the small plain high above the river. Nowadays a curious pentagonal medieval tower, thought to have been built by the Templars, stands close to the church on the foundations of the Roman building.
The impression left on our group as we drove away from this high plateau with its sweeping views across a curve of the Castelo de Bode lake, was one of profound silence, peace and beauty and we carried this with us as we returned home in the late evening after a very enjoyable and lovely day.