Art Resource - AR9156806

The Cloister of John III, the Convent of the Knights of Christ, Tomar, Portugal, 2009. Artist: Samuel Magal

The Cloister of John III, the Convent of the Knights of Christ, Tomar, Portugal, 2009. The Convent of the Knights of Christ in Tomar is a combination of a castle and a convent and was used by the Knights Templar. Tomar itself was founded in the 12th century as the headquarters of the Knights Templar in Portugal. In order to establish an easy cohabitation between the town and the Convent of the Knights of Christ, the castle was built in three distinct walled enclosures, surrounded by an extensive outer wall. The largest enclosure, which faced southwards, was the walled town, whose gateway overlooked the area known as Sete Montes. In the 16th century the town was emptied of its inhabitants and transformed into kitchen gardens and orchards for the monks of the Order of Christ. In recent times the vegetable gardens have been replaced by the Parque do Laranjal, where can be found evidence of the old town in the stones of the doorways and windows that have been preserved by time. The Templar Castle and the Convent were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983.

Unique Identifier AR9156806

Type Image

Purpose Public

Size 3413px × 5120px

Photo Credit HIP / Art Resource, NY

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