Tomar

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Shortened history of the castle :

The castle of Tomar was built by order of the Temple in 1160, during the Reconquista. Inside the fortress is the Convent of the Order of Christ, which consists of all architectural styles practiced in Portugal between the twelfth and eighteenth century.

The castle of Tomar was built on a strategic location on top of a hill near the river Nabão. It has an outer defensive wall and a pentagonal citadel, also fortified with a tower inside. The keep, a central tower to residential and defensive, was introduced by the Templars in Portugal and that of Tomar is among the oldest in the country.

The fortress was part of the defense system created by the Templars to secure the border of the young Christian kingdom against the Moors, which border the middle of the twelfth century, corresponded roughly to the banks of the River Tagus.

According to Christian chroniclers in 1190, the castle of Tomar resisted for six days to the attacks of the Caliph Abu Yusuf Yaqub Almoravid al-Mansur, who had previously taken other Portuguese fortresses in the South the country. This Christian victory is commemorated by the gate of the fortress, nicknamed "the bloody door."

When the Templar Order was dissolved, castles Almourol and Tomar were given to a new order, the order of Our Lord Jesus Christ, founded March 14, 1319.

Opening times and additionnal information :

From June to September : 9am - 6.30pm
From October to May : 9am - 5.30pm