Convent of Christ
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How it came to be
In the second half of the 12th century the Knights Templar were brought to Portugal, where they played a large part in the Reconquest. Tomar was their first and most important fortress, and Grand Master Gualdim Pais completed the castle and oratory around 1160. The knights built a round church modelled on the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. Around 1190 the castle held out against the army of the caliph Abu Yusuf al-Mansur.
When the Templars were suppressed across most of Europe early in the 14th century, Pope John XXII founded the Order of Christ in 1319 at King Denis's request, and the Portuguese knights and property passed to it. Prince Henry the Navigator led the order from 1417 to 1450.
From 1510 Manuel I had Diogo de Arruda and João de Castilho rebuild the nave in the Manueline style, and the Chapter House window is one of the best-known works of that style. The convent was declared a national monument in 1907 and inscribed in 1983.
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