In this category, I have shown a collection of interesting photos of windows in Tomar but this time I decided to display, possibly the most complex and exuberant window in the world. I am referring to the richly sculpted Window of the Chapter House at the Convent of Christ, which in Portuguese is mostly known as Janela do Capítulo (Chapter Window). This window is marked by a masterful complex ornamentation, designed by the Portuguese architect Diogo de Arruda, who lived in the 16th Century. The Chapter window may represent the pinnacle of the Manueline architecture style and illustrates the Portuguese dominance of the seas in the 15th and 16th centuries.
Partially view of the Chapter House at the Convent of Christ in Tomar. Several elements related to the seas and the Portuguese discoveries, like ropes, knots, corals, leaves, seaweeds, etc, appear regularly
Another partial view of the Chapter Windown at the Christ Convent in Tomar. This is one the finest stonework in the world with its unique Manueline architectural style
The Chapter Window seen from a certain distance. In the bottom of the window there’s a human face which seems to represent Diogo Arruda, the designer of the window
In this site, I have referred to my mother’s apartment a few times and now, under the excuse of showing some more windows in Tomar, this is the chance to show were I stayed during my holidays there in 2010. All these windows, including the ones at my mother’s apartment are located at Rua da Cascalheira, which is mostly a very old street with old houses, some of them in different stages of disrepair. However, there are also more modern blocks of apartments there and my 87 year old mother lives in one of them.
The windows in the first floor of this block of apartments, belong to my mother's flat at Rua da Cascalheira. This is the place I stayed during my holidays in Tomar in 2010.
An old window at an old house in a very old street called Rua da Cascalheira in the City of Tomar in Portugal
The architecture of this old window at Rua Da Cascalheira in Tomar would look much better if the walls had been painted
Some people may wonder why I am interested in windows and doors, and why do I publish photos related to this topic on this site. Well, I’m not particularly interested in this subject, but I just think that in old towns like Tomar doors and windows sometimes draw attention to them, especially for someone like me who have been living for many years in a young modern country like Australia. Old windows and doors tell you that people who are no longer with us, used to look at those windows and enter those doors. It’s often evidence of the past long gone, but still carrying on their purpose today.
This is a relatively modern building with mirror windows and doors which is located right across the Garden of Varzea Pequena. The street in front is Rua Marquês de Tomar
This is the window of an attic belonging to a house in the area of Varzea Pequena. When I was much younger I lived in a house in Tomar with an attic similar to this one
Another window of another attic in the area of Varzea Pequena in Tomar. By the way, I've just learned that the word attic comes from the Attica Greek region, around Athens
When I left the Forest of the Seven Hills in Tomar, I walked down Avenida Cândido Madureira taking photos, and among the photo subjects were windows and doors. This avenue in Tomar is where I lived from 6 to almost 9 years old in the 60’s, so I am familiar with this area. In the first photo, the building in the middle with those black plaques is where two of my aunt-grannies used to live. They both passed away in the mid 70’s. The second photo is from the old hospital of Tomar and the third are photos of protected windows with frames, not far from the statue of Henry the Navigator.
Photo of windows and doors in houses at Avenida Cândido Madureira in Tomar. Those two windows with black plaques near each other, are familiar to me. My aunt-grannies lived in that apartment. Now they are lawyer offices
These are windows and main entrance of the old hospital of Tomar at Avenida Avenida Cândido Madureira. Now there is a more modern and bigger hospital in the City of Tomar, built on the other side of Nabão River
Windows protected with a frame made of iron or steel. I suppose the rooms inside are partially underground, judging by the position of these windows at this building in Avenida Cândido Madureira
These three windows were shot close to Rua da Fábrica de Fiação, near the sporting pavilion of Mouchão Park and the Camping Park of Tomar. I used to walk past this area almost everyday, coming from my mother’s apartment at Travessa da Cascalheira. The first two windows have traces of the Manueline style of the 16th century, but they seem to have been built in the middle of the 19th century. This style is called Neo-Manueline and it’s considered a type of revival architecture. I don’t think the third photo show us any special style. It’s just an old window on top of the restaurant O Estádio.
Window and balcony built on the Neo-Manueline style of the 19th century, which was inspired in the Portuguese Gothic architecture of the 16th century, called Manueline
Another example of Neo-Manueline style, but this time this window an d balcony seem to have been built in 1920. This style started in the 19th century but it seems that it was still being used in the early 20th century
I'm not an expert, so I can't find any special style in this window, but I know that it's a relatively old building in Tomar. On the ground floor is a restaurat called O Estádio (The Stadium).
This topic of photos of windows and doors, won’t always include beautiful photos. Tomar is an old city and I encountered windows and doors all over town that weren’t always well preserved. They needed painting and in some cases were dilapidated, but in this set of photos of the Estalagem de Santa Iria (Santa Iria Inn), I think we all agree that the windows and doors are old but well maintained and interesting. This is a place where tourists from all over Portugal and the world spend the night or nights, surrounded by the beautiful vegetation of Mouchão Park and the waters of Nabão River.
In this photo we can see the windows of the restaurant, doors of the rooms in the first floor and the main door to enter Estalagem de Santa Iria at Mouchão Park in Tomar
Photo of the doors, of the rooms in the first floor of Estalagem de Santa iria (Santa Iria Inn) at the Island of Mouchão in the City of Tomar
These are the windows of the restaurant on the ground floor, of Estalagem de Santa Iria in Tomar. The windows of the back of the this Inn have views to Nabão River
These windows are at Travessa do Arco in the City of Tomar and based on some research I believe they belong to what used to be to an old palace, which in Portuguese was called Palácio dos Velhos de Macedo. The window shown in the first photo is at the corner of Avenida Cândido Madureira and Travessa do Arco, and the other two photos show the same window at Tv. do Arco. Now here is the curious part of these photos. It was here at Travessa dos Arcos that my mother used to live in her late teenage years, and my father (Fernando de Jesus Fidalgo) spent a great deal of time looking up to one of these windows courting and talking to my mother (Maria de Lurdes Simões Fidalgo). That of course ended up in marriage and as result my brother and I were born.
This photo is from windows in the corner of the streets Rua Cândido Madureira and Travessa do Arco in Tomar.
Another window from the same house in Tomar, which in the past used to be a small palace called Palácio dos Velhos de Macedo
My mother used to live in this house in Tomar and this was the window my father courted her when she was in her late teens. Now she is 87 years old (2011)
Windows and doors, especially in old cities and towns can be colourful or dull, artistic or ugly, new and interesting or old and decrepit and sometimes they can even suggest interesting stories and tales. When I walked around the City of Tomar (Cidade de Tomar) in Portugal, I didn’t exactly plan to take photos of windows and doors. I just found them here and there in different styles, forms, textures and colours and after processing the photos I discovered that it would be interesting to create a category in this site for these type of photos. So here is a set of shots of windows of a Tourist Centre in Corredoura (Rua Serpa Pinto). In portuguese they call it “Comissão de Iniciativa e Turismo” (Committee of Initiative and Tourism).
These are windows of a Tourist Centre in Corredoura (Rua Serpa Pinto) in Tomar, Portugal, called Committee of Initiative and Tourism (Comissão de Iniciativa e Turismo)
Photos of a window of the building where "Comissão de Iniciativa e Turismo" in Tomar is installed. The designs at the window may be connected to the Manueline style revivalism
Photo of an old window in the same building at Corredoura (Rua Serpa Pinto) in Tomar, but in the upper floor