Convento do Cristo and Templar Castle

In 1983 UNESCO declared the monument "World Heritage" a unique jewel in the history of the West: the Templar Castle and Convent of the Knights of Christ of Tomar. Built on a place of Roman worship, this vast monumental ensemble tells us of seven centuries of the history of Portugal and of great moments in the history of the West.

Afonso Henriques, the first first king of Portugal, donated to the Knights of the Temple of Jerusalem, a vast region between the Mondego and the Tagus. Legend has it that, in 1160, the knights who arrived in the region chose a hill to establish a castle and the name they would give it: Tomar. In 1314, the Order of the Temple was extinguished due to the persecutions of the King of France, Philip - the Beautiful. Thanks to the will of D. Dinis, people, goods and privileges were fully integrated, in 1319, in a new order - the Militia of the Knights of Christ who would, with Infante D. Henrique, support the Portuguese nation in the company of maritime discoveries from the 15th and 16th centuries. Castelo de Tomar is then the Convent and headquarters of the Order and the Navigator Infant its Governor and perpetual Administrator.