Convent of Christ, UNESCO World Heritage monastery in Tomar, Portugal.
The Convent of Christ is a walled complex on a hill above the Nabão, begun in 1160 as a Templar castle and enlarged until the 17th century. Its centre is the Charola, a 12th-century rotunda modelled on the Dome of the Rock, to which a Manueline nave and sacristy were added under Manuel I. West of it stand the Renaissance cloisters, and the aqueduct of Pegões, finished in 1614, reaches the site from outside the walls.
The castle was founded by Gualdim Pais in 1160 and withstood a siege by caliph Abu Yusuf al-Mansur in 1190, commemorated by a plaque near the entrance. After the Templars were dissolved, Pope John XXII instituted the Order of Christ in 1319 at the request of King Denis, and in 1357 the former Templar seat became the order's headquarters. Prince Henry the Navigator, governor from 1420, directed the order toward maritime expansion, funding voyages that led to the Portuguese discoveries.
The round Charola was modelled on the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, which crusaders took to be a remnant of Solomon's Temple. The Manueline church built under D. Manuel I celebrates the maritime discoveries and the mystique of the Order of Christ. Visitors can still see the carved pinnacles and the arched window of the ornate section beside the tower.
The grounds are open daily for visits, with longer hours during the warmer months and reduced hours during the cooler season. It is wise to allow plenty of time to explore the various cloisters and rooms at a comfortable pace.
The convent aqueduct, the Aqueduto dos Pegões, was completed in 1614, during the period when Portugal and Spain were united under a single crown. It carried water to the monastery over a distance of several kilometres, and its arches can still be followed across the valley below the complex.
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