CONVENTO DE CRISTO

One of the country's most extraordinary buildings... not to be missed if you're visiting Tomar. Built between the ^13th and ^17th centuries by the Portuguese crusader Gualdim Pais, this UNESCO World Heritage fortress-monastery is a veritable stone book of Templar history. The convent of the Order of Christ was erected during the Reconquista, mainly to defend the brand-new Christian kingdom from invasion by the Moors. In this respect, an episode recounted by Christian chroniclers relates that the Berber caliph Abu Yusuf Yaqub (known as "al-Mansour", the victorious, for his military prowess in Toledo and Madrid), after having subdued several Portuguese forts in the south of the country, failed to take the recent Convent of the Order of Christ. A commemorative plaque remains at the entrance to the castle. Inside, you'll find superb works of various architectural schools: Romanesque, Gothic, Manueline and Renaissance.

The tour begins with the two cloisters del Cementerio and del Lavado (there are seven in all), adjoining what was once the Templar castle. We then arrive at the holiest and most original part of the Convento: the Charola, located behind the new sacristy, is a strange and magnificent octagonal chapel in Oriental Byzantine style. All in gold, decorated with precious ^13th-century frescoes. They depict Templar battles, Jerusalem and the Crusades. In front of you, the chapter house is adorned with two windows. From the outside, these incredible "janelas manuelinas" are examples of this unique Portuguese architectural style, carved in stone with multiple motifs (ropes, fish, mythical marine animals...). Inside, they overlook the Claustro de Santa Bárbara and the Claustro Principal. The latter is the most massive cloister in the entire building, spanning three storeys. Behind it, the unfinished chapels recreate the romantic atmosphere of a ^19th-century painting.

After the interminable dos cruzeros corridors lies the western part of the complex, with the Claustro dos Cuervos and its aqueduct and, finally, the Claustro de la Micha, adjoined by the Templar meeting rooms(salas de las Cortes). In the basement are the monument's secular structures: the kitchens, the gigantic oven and the medieval latrines. If you haven't lost your way yet and still have the energy to visit another building, take a quick tour of the huge Claustro de la Hospedería before you leave.