Convent of Christ

CONVENT OF CHRIST

June 2013

The Nabantinos – the people of Tomar

Templar City – the city’s architecture

Churches and Chapels – historic religious buildings

According to historical records, in 1159 the Knights Templar were granted vast lands and political influence for their role in securing Portugal’s independence from the Moors. The following year, on this land, Dom Gualdim Pais—Master of the Order of the Temple—began construction of a castle in a strategic location that became the Templar headquarters in Portugal.

Within the castle walls, a round Romanesque church, known as the Charola, was built, resembling a fortified citadel. Its interior features Gothic and Manueline sculptures, frescoes, and gilded decoration. The octagonal central structure is surrounded by a gallery connected by arches, richly painted in different styles.

Over time, significant additions were made to the complex. The most important were commissioned by Prince Henry the Navigator, who ordered the reconstruction of the nave in a blend of late Gothic and early Renaissance forms—later identified by art historians as the Manueline style. Externally, the nave is covered with elaborate Manueline ornamentation, most notably the Chapter House Window (Janela do Capítulo).

The convent includes eight cloisters constructed between the 15th and 16th centuries. Among the most significant are:

Claustro da Lavagem (Washing Cloister): a two-storey Gothic structure where monks washed their clothes
Claustro do Cemitério (Cemetery Cloister): used for monastic burials
Claustro da Hospedaria (Hospital Cloister)
Claustro dos Corvos (Ravens Cloister)
Claustro de D. João III (Cloister of John III): a monumental two-level cloister linking the dormitory to the Charola, and considered one of Portugal’s finest examples of Mannerist architecture

In 1593, King Philip I of Portugal commissioned the Aqueduct of Pegões, a 6-kilometre structure with 180 arches, to supply water to the convent.

Today, the Convent of Christ is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Portugal’s most important historical monuments.