ITINERARY 4 - TOMAR



08.00 am -
Departure to Tomar Way out from the top of Parque Eduardo VII, Lisbon

10.00 am -
Tomar arrival. Convent of the Order of Christ visit The Convent of the Order of Christ and the Templars' Castle in Tomar form a unique monumental ensemble in their kind. The Castle was founded in 1160 by Dom Gualdim Pais, provincial Master of the Order of the Temple in Portugal. The early inhabitants of Tomar lived within its walls. The core of the fortress heart, the Alcáçova (Citadel), with the donjon, was built on the east side; the mystical place, the octagonal Templar Church, was built on the west side. With the dissolution of the Order, because of the persecutions of King Philippe, the Beautiful, King of France, the Templars could carry on with its sacred Cavalry mission in Portugal.

The Order of the Temple was dissolved in 1312 but their property and, in part, their vocation were transferred, in Portugal, to the Order of Christ, which was created in 1319. Under the auspices of King Dinis it was founded the "Order of the Knights of Christ" which was negotiated for four years between the monarch and the Holy See; both the people and properties of the dissolved Order joined the new Order. It is thanks to the Order of Christ that the Portuguese nation opened itself to the maritime Discoveries carried out in the 15th century. Tomar became, therefore, the headquarters of the Order and, Prince Henry, the Navigator, their Master. The Order of Christ expanded as the Christian faith and the kingdom itself expanded too. Time and the Portuguese history left in the Convent's architecture evidences of the passing ages and the men who led the Portuguese destinies. During Prince Henry's rule two Gothic cloisters were built in the Convent. With King Manuel I, the Templar Church was expanded to the west by a construction that would serve the Chapter of the Order. This construction, profusely decorated by the symbolism of the Knights of Christ, has in its west façade the famous Chapter House Window, by Diogo de Arruda (around 1510). Later on, King John III, had deep changes made in the Order by amending their Rules and turning the Knights into contemplative monks; it is in this reign that important works of expansion of the Convent started in order to accomplish the Reform of the Order. Such works would go on through several reigns, till the 18th century, and left marks of different artistic tendencies. The Convent of Christ displays in its architectural ensemble art testimonies of the Romanesque, Templar, Gothic and Manueline style, dating back to the Discoveries time, the "joanine" Renaissance, the Mannerism, in their various aspects and, eventually the Baroque as present in several architectural details. In the architectural structure of the Convent, besides the buildings constructed around the Templar Church, there is also to point out the ensemble of four large cloisters framed in Latin cross by two axes, and also an aqueduct 6 km long, constructed by King Philip II. A wooden farming area known as Mata dos Sete Montes (Wood of the Seven Hills), due to the seven hills that surround it, makes part of the Convent's estate.

12.00 am -
Tomar departure

01.30 pm -
Lunch at "Aldeia de Santo Antão" restaurant

03.00 pm -
Departure to Batalha panoramic view

05.00 pm -
HEP 2005 Conference and dinner at Mafra Convent

Mafra Convent: Built by command of Dom John V, the Mafra Convent is the most important monument of the Portuguese Baroque. The architectural ensemble develops symmetrically from a central axis, the Basilica, acting as the central point of a lengthy façade flanked by two turrets; at the rear of the Basilica, the monastery of the Ordem de São Francisco da Província da Arrábida (the Franciscan monks of Arrábida Order) stands. A German goldsmith, João Frederico Ludovice, who studied architecture in Italy, was commissioned to lead the works. He adopted a classical Baroque model, inspired by the papal Rome, showing the influence of Bernini and Borromini elements, namely in the towers, and also some German flavour. The works started in 1717, when the first stone was laid and, on October 22nd, 1730, the king's 41st birthday, the Basilica was solemnly consecrated. The Palace-Convent possesses one of the most important Portuguese libraries, with some 40,000 volumes, and numerous artistic works ordered by the monarch from Portugal, France, Flanders (the two carillons with 92 bells) and in Italy. Inácio de Oliveira Bernardes, Masucci Giaquinto, Lironi or Ludovisi are some of the masters that took part in this "joanine" workshop. During the reign of Dom José (18th century) the Mafra School of Sculpture was even founded, led by the Italian master Alessandro Giuti, which produced such important sculptors as Machado de Castro. In King John VI's reign the Palace was inhabited for a complete year in 1807 before the Court's departure to Brazil. A decorative refurbishing in some of the most important rooms, took place then, after the projects made by well-known artists such as Ciryllo Wolkmar Machado, Domingos Sequeira or Vieira Lusitano. Most of the time, however, the Palace-Convent was only sporadically visited by the royal family and the same occurred after the Court's return to Portugal. It was from this Palace that the last king of Portugal, Dom Manuel II, left for exile on October 5th, 1910, following the proclamation of the Republic.

11.00 pm
Return to Lisbon to the departure place. Arrival at 12.00 pm

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Webmasters: João Martins, José Aparício

Last modified: Mon Mar 6 11:39:06 UTC 2006