Portugal is a very old country, and because of that, it has
A LOT OF HISTORY!!!
Trying to condense it down for the blog can be very difficult.😕
So, with that said...
This week we took the train north to...
...where Filipa met us and then we drove on up to Tomar.
The Convento de Cristo (Convent of Christ) sits on top of the hill, inside the walls of the Castle of the Knights Templar, dominating the city of Tomar.
The castle was built in1160 and both the castle and convent were the headquarters of the Knights Templar until 1314 and of the Order of Christ from 1357 onwards.
(I guess if I had read the Da Vinci Code this would all make more sense.)
(I guess if I had read the Da Vinci Code this would all make more sense.)
The famous Charola was modeled after the Church of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.
The Window of the Chapter House (Janela do Capítulo) can be overwhelming to the eye at first, but a closer look reveals a wealth of meaningful and carefully-planned details, all illustrating Portugal’s great status as a sea power.
Among the sculptures are ropes, knots, full sails, mariners with the tools of their craft, and various seascapes. A human figure in the bottom of the window probably represents the designer, Diogo de Arruda.
When the Order of Christ took over from the Knights Templat, Tomar was where many Portuguese voyages in the Age of Discovery were planned. And as the order’s governor, the world-changing explorer Henry the Navigator lived in Tomar and took charge of its
expansion in the 15th century.
(This was our lucky day - one of those knights just happened by !!)
haha! That's the toughest knight I ever did see! I love the history lessons! Keep them coming! I've only watched the Da Vinci Code, but I suppose it's never too late for you to read it! :)
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