Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
pression of magnificence, founded in 1160 by Gualdim Pais, Grand Master of the Tem-
plars. It has chapels, cloisters and choirs in widely diverging styles, added over the centur-
ies by successive kings and Grand Masters.
Charola
This extraordinary 16-sided Templar church, thought to be in imitation of the Church of
the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, dominates the complex. Its eastern influences give it a
very different feel to most Portuguese churches; the interior is otherworldly in its vast
heights - an awesome combination of simple forms and rich embellishment. It's said that
the circular design enabled knights to attend Mass on horseback. In the centre stands an
eerily Gothic high altar while wall paintings date from the early 16th century. A huge fun-
nel to the left is an ancient organ pipe (the organ itself is long gone).
Church
Dom Manuel was responsible for tacking the nave on to the west side of the Charola and
for commissioning a two-level choir. The
coro alto
(upper choir) is a fabulous Manueline
work, with intricate decor on the vaulting and windows. The main western doorway into
the nave is a splendid example of Spanish
plateresque
style.
Seeming to have grown from the wall, the window on the church's western side is the
most famous and fantastical feature of the monastery. It's the ultimate in Manueline extra-
vagance, a celebration of the Age of Discoveries: a Medusa tangle of snaking ropes, sea-
weed and cork boats, atop of which floats the Cross of the Order of Christ and the royal
arms and armillary spheres of Dom Manuel. It's best seen from the roof of the adjacent
Claustro de Santa Bárbara. Follow signs to the
janela
(window). Unfortunately obscured
by the Claustro Principal is an almost-equivalent window on the southern side of the
church.
Claustro do Cemitério &
Claustro da Lavagem
Two serene,
azulejo
-decorated cloisters to the east of the Charola were built during the
time when Prince Henry the Navigator was Grand Master of the order in the 15th century.
The Claustro do Cemitério (Burial-Ground Cloisters) contains two 16th- century tombs
and pretty citrus trees, while the two-storey Claustro da Lavagem (Ablutions Cloisters) af-
fords nice views of the crenellated ruins of the Templars' original castle.
Claustro Principal
The elegant Renaissance Claustro Principal (Great Cloisters) stands in striking contrast to
the flamboyance of the monastery's Manueline architecture. Commissioned during the
reign of João III, the cloisters were probably designed by the Spaniard Diogo de Torralva
but completed in 1587 by an Italian, Filippo Terzi. These foreign architects were among