Christ Monastery in Tomar
The Convento de Cristo is located west of the city of Tomar and dominates the panorama of the city from a hill. Tomar is located about two hours by car from Lisbon in the Centro region. By train, Tomar can be reached within two hours, and from Porto in about three hours.
The history of the Monastery of Christ on the hills high above Tomar is closely linked to Alfonso I, the first king of Portugal. He liberated the country from African Moors at the beginning of the 12th century and led it back to the Catholic faith.
In gratitude for their support on the battlefield, the Knights Templar from Jerusalem were given an area between the Tagus and Mondego rivers. They chose the hill around present-day Tomar to build a Templar castle – the birth of the Convento de Cristo in the heart of Portugal.
For defense and faith
In 1160, the construction of a fort on the hill of Tomar began. It was built high up on a hill by the Tomar River and was considered impregnable by the enemies of the West. The original castle was joined by the first cloister just two years later, and seven more were to follow. For centuries, the Temples could be sure of the favor of the Portuguese kings and continued to expand the castle. Their financial resources were almost infinite.
Although the Templar Order was banned in 1314, the Convento de Cristo subsequently fell into the hands of the Order of the Knights of Christ. Both orders were de facto identical, so that the complex was under knightly management for centuries. Many knights later set out as sailors and conquered the world. The sign of the order, which is omnipresent in the Christ Monastery, adorned their flag.
In its function as a fortified and sacred building, the Monastery of Christ in Tomar was under the leadership of many kings. Again and again, the complex was expanded, serving both to protect the kingdom and to be an important place for the church. The monastery was completed in 1591. The monastery facilities and a five-kilometer aqueduct were completed in the 17th century.
The monastery church of the Knights Templar
The monastery church is characterized by different architectural periods. At the beginning of construction in the 12th century, the Romanesque architectural style influenced the responsible architects. The ground plan of the church is based on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
The monastery church was built over four centuries. Especially under Henry the Navigator and Manuel I, the building was lavishly expanded. The interior is characterized by paintings and images. Partly they are of Gothic origin, partly they were designed during the reign of Manuel I. The Manueline style can be found not only in the imposing interior, but also at the entrance of the church.
In 1484, under the Grand Master and future Portuguese King Manuel I, the cloister and the Church of the Knights of Christ were built. The architect was Diogo de Arruda. During the reign of King Manuel (1495 to 1521), the entire castle complex was richly decorated and the complex acquired its still existing form with the typical mixture of Gothic, Baroque and Manueline style elements.
From 1532, the monastery castle was expanded and enlarged by the master builder João de Castilho. In 1557, the remodeling was carried out by the architect Diego de Torralva. The completion of the monastery in its current form happened in 1591 by the architect Filipe Terzi. In 1618, the construction of the Portaria Real, the Casa da Escada and the Sala dos Reis by Diogo Marques Lucas began. The monastery complex with the monks’ cells and a five-kilometer-long aqueduct date from the 16th-17th centuries.
The Convent of Christ in Tomar is surrounded by a total of eight cloisters. Particularly noteworthy is Claustro de D. João III, which is one of the unique buildings of Mannerism in Portugal.
FROM TEMPLAR KNIGHTS TO CHRISTIAN KNIGHTS
When the Order of the Knights Templar was dissolved by Pope Clement V in 1312, the castle complex became the property of the newly founded Order of the Knights of Christ. It is said that many Temples who did not die at the stake found shelter in the Order of the Knights of Christ.
In 1307 and 1310, Pope Clement V called a council to prove the guilt or innocence of the Temples, they were accused of heresy. Both councils established the innocence of the Order, but the Pope bowed to the will of the French King Philip IV and had the Templar Order dissolved. In France the Temples were imprisoned, tortured and burned at the stake, while in Spain and Portugal the kings granted protection to the Temples. The Portuguese King Dionysius refused to hand over the Templar possessions to the Johanites and founded his own order, the Order of the Knights of Christ. In 1319 the possessions of the Portuguese Temples were handed over to the Order of the Knights of Christ and in 1357 the headquarters of the Order was moved to Tomar. The symbol of the Knights of Christ is also similar to that of the Temples, but in the center of the cross of the Knights of Christ one finds a white cross, a symbol of innocence.
FAMOUS KNIGHTS OF CHRIST
Among the most famous members of the Knights of Christ were: Henry the Navigator, Vasco da Gamma, Bartolomeu Diaz, Pedro Alvarez Cabral (all famous navigators) or Martin Behaim (a German, the inventor of the globe). The sailors led their expeditions under the banner of the Order of Christ. Even Christopher Columbus wore the symbol of the Knights of Christ during his first expeditions, as they were financed by the Order.
Text & Fotos: Rainer Georgius
Nature & Culture 
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