'Castle of Tomar' Category

Inside the battlements of the Castle of the City of Tomar

Inside the Castle of the Knights Templar in Tomar, I continued to take photos of its surroundings. perhaps not as many as I should given that I was eager to go inside to see the wonderful Convent of Christ. I guess that the next time I visit Portugal taking more photos outside will one of my priorities. Anyway this is another set of photos inside the battlements of the Castle of Tomar.

Green corner at the Castle of the Knights Templar in Tomar, Portugal

This corner is located inside the battlements of the Castle of the Knights Templar in Tomar

 

Door at the Castle of Tomar in Portugal

I don't really remember where this door is going to. I guess I was discouraged to find out when I saw the bars on the door

 

Door and corner  at the Castle of Tomar

Close up photo of the same door and corner inside the Castle of Tomar in Portugal

Magnificent views from the battlements of the Castle of Tomar

These are the battlements of the Castle of Tomar in Portugal. This area inside the Castle of the Knights Templar is by itself very beautiful and the views to the valley of Tomar are also spectacular as you can see on the photos below. As sometimes happens, beauty is intersected by iniquity and it was in this lovely surroundings that many brave Knights Templar shed their blood defending the castle and Portugal against the attacks from the Moors.

Battlements of the Castle of the Knights Templar in Tomar

These are some of the battlements in the Castle of the Knights Templar in Tomar. The surrounding area is beautiful and the landscape in the distance is very picturesque

 

Battlements of Castle in the City of Tomar in Portugal

It was in these battlements in the Castle of Tomar that many Knigths Templar shed their blood against invasions from the Moors, namely against the Moroccan caliph Abu Yusuf al-Mansur

 

Castle of Tomar and its battlements

The entire area inside and outside these battlements in the Castle of Tomar in Portugal is very beautiful and can give you a pleasant feeling of inward tranquility

Inside the Castle of Tomar in Portugal, looking at the battlements

I have been trying to show photos of the Castle of the Knights Templar in Tomar in some sort of sequence, since we started our journey to the Castle with photos from Calçada de São Tiago. In this set of photos below we are inside the Castle looking at the battlements which once helped the Knights Templar to defend the town of Tomar and the kingdom of Portugal, against the invasion of the Moors. I entered the castle at about 9.30 AM, but I wasn’t the only visitor. Soon after, tourists started to arrive, most of them non-Portuguese.

Battlements of the Castle of the Knights Templar in the City of Tomar

While I shot one of the battlements at the Castle of Tomar, some tourists from other European countries started to enter the main gate of this Portuguese middle age fortification

 

Medieval walls of the Castle of the Knights Templar in Tomar

My son Nelson Fidalgo, who was born in Australia, is also a keen enthusiast of photography, and in this photo inside the Castle of the Knights Templar in Tomar, he was busy capturing its medieval surroundings

 

Gate and medieval walls of the Castle of the Knights Templar in Tomar, Portugal

Photo of medieval walls just to the right of the main gate in the Castle of Tomar. Looking at these walls, one can only imagine the hard fought battles to defend Tomar and Portugal against the Moors

Entering the Castle of the Knights Templar in Tomar and recalling the past

Once I entered the first gate of the Castle of the Knights Templar in Tomar, there was a cobblestone pathway and then another entrance to the gardens of the castle. Here I was in the place where brave Portuguese knights of the past defended the attack to Tomar in 1190, by the Morocccan caliph Abu Yusuf al-Mansur. Apparently it was a hard fought and bloody battle, but the knights defended the castle with great courage and in the end they were able to keep the Saracens at bay.

Cobblestone pathway to the Castle of the Knights Templar in Tomar

I had just left the first gate of the Castle of Tomar behind me and there was another one ahead, leading to the garden of the Castle and the battlements around it

 

Entrance to the gardens of the Castle of the Knights Templar in Tomar

When I shot this picture, I was already inside the Castle of the Knights Templar, looking in the opposite direction. Behind me was the garden of the Castle

 

Gardens of the Castle of Tomar in Portugal

This photo was shot in the middle of the garden of the Castle of Tomar. At some distance is a gate that leads to a second one, so you can leave the castle

Inside the walls of the Castle of the Knights Templar in Tomar

The last time I published photos of the Castle of Tomar in this photoblog, my family and I were arriving at the main entrance of this 12th century fortification. Now these photos show us already inside the walls of the castle which was once an important stronghold of the Knights Templar. Inside there is a good feeling of the middle ages, though the cars in the car park take a bit away that medieval experience.

Entering the Castle of the Knights Templar in Tomar, Portugal

In this photo we had just entered through the gate of the Castle of the Knights Templar in the City of Tomar. As you can see outside the walls of the castle there is a car park

 

Cobblestone pathway at the Castle of the Knights Templar in Tomar, Portugal

While I was walking I kept taking photos of the entrance to the Castle of Tomar. It's hard to believe that the cobblestone pathway I was walking on has probably been there longer than 800 years

 

Visitor to the Castle of the Knights Templar in Tomar, Portugal

When I entered the Castle, I saw the tourist shown in this photo, leaving. The Castle of Tomar and the Convent of Christ are really busy tourist attractions

Arriving at the gate of the Castle of Tomar in Portugal

You may have noticed that in this topic, I am trying to publish photos that follow our walk (my family and I) from Calçada de São Tiago in the town, to the Castle of Tomar. This collection of photos (Please click HERE) begins at São Tiago Roadway, which then connects to the road that leads to the hill where the Castle was built more than 800 hundred years ago (1160) by Gualdim Pais, the Grand Master of the Order of Knights Templar. As you can see, this is the stage where we are arriving at the gate of the Castle of Tomar.

Gate of the Castle of the knights Templar in Tomar, Portugal

In the distance I can now see the the gate of the Castle of the Knights Templar in Tomar. My wife is already there waiting for me and my son is already inside.

 

Main entrance to the Castle of the Knights Templar in Tomar, Portugal

Another photo of the gate of the Castle of Tomar in Portugal

 

Gate to the Castle of the knights Templar and the Vonvent of Christ in Tomar

Almost there. My wife is waiting for me at the gate of the Castle of Tomar

Still walking to the Castle of the Knighst Templar in Tomar

As I mentioned before, our visit to the Castle of the Knights Templar (Castelo dos Templários) in Tomar, Portugal, had to be done on foot as I didn’t have a car. So my wife, my son and I, walked up the hill until we got there. It doesn’t take long anyway, and the views along the way are fantastic. This is a bit of a story in pictures which is going to take a while to tell, so with that in view, here is another set of photos, this time the three of us arriving to the Castle of Tomar.

Walking to Castle of Tomar on foot

I believe this is a medieval road, used by some of my fellow Portuguese ancestors to go from the town of Tomar to the Castle

 

Walking through an old road to the Castle of Tomar

In this photo we are quickly approaching the Castle of Tomar. My son is ahead of me.

 

Walking to the Castle of Tomar in Portugal

Almost there. My wife and son can already see the entrance of the Castle of Tomar in Portugal

Walking to the Castle of Tomar

If you are in the City of Tomar in Portugal, you must visit the Castle of the Knights Templar (Castelo dos Templários) and the Christ Convent (Convento de Cristo). You can either go by car or you can walk. In my case I didn’t have much choice as I didn’t have a car. Anyway, if you are taking photos of this beautiful city, walking, not driving is the best way to get great shots. So my wife, my son and I walked to castle and in these three photos we are at Calçada de São Tiago, heading to the road that goes to the Castle. In two of them my teenage son was taking panoramic photos of Tomar.

Walking to the Castle of the Knights Templar

Climbing Calçada de São Tiago in the City of Tomar in Portugal, to go to the Castle of Tomar

 

Approaching the staircase to go to the Castle

Approaching the staircase at the end of Calçada de São Tiago in Tomar, to get to the road that goes to the castle

 

Teenager taking photos on top of the staircase

My teenage son taking panoramic photos of the City of Tomar, on top of the staircase