It was a beautiful day in Tomar and of course the buildings around and specifically Praça da República, which is the centre of the city, was bathed in sun light. There are other photos of this place in the site, but this time I was trying to concentrate on the old buildings of this cobblestone paved square. The plaza itself was circumvented by guidons with the symbols of Tomar and the Knights of Christ.
Buildings and guidons surrounding Praça da República in Tomar. You can also see a partial view of the Castle of Tomar
It was a magnificent day. Praça da República in the City of Tomar was bathed in sun light
These buildings at Praça da República, belong to another era of the City of Tomar in Portugal
One day in December 2004, dozens of pigeons were found dead at Praça da República in Tomar. The people of the city were outraged and an investigation followed up. Apparently the pigeons were poisoned by some criminal mind. Whoever did that possibly enjoyed the dead of harmless animals which attract so much affection by both the people of Tomar and the tourists. It was a disgraceful act on innocent birds, but fortunately and in time things went back to normal and here we are in 2010, with Praça da República once again full of pigeons.
My son loved the pigeons at Praça da República. He first saw them there when he visited Portugal in the summer of 2004
My wife and son walking through hundreds of pigeons at Praça da República in Tomar. We were on our way to the Castle of the Knights Templar in Tomar
Hundreds of pigeons at Praça da República. At some distance is the Church of São João Baptista and the statue of Gualdim Pais which often has a pigeon on top of its head
This is the building at Praça da República (Republic Square) that governs the Municipality of Tomar. For more details on the building and activities in Tomar you can visit the City Council site HERE, however most of it is in Portuguese, though in some cases you can find a summary in English at the bottom of the pages. According to their site, the Municipality of Tomar has “about 43,000 inhabitants that spreads through an area of 351 km2, is composed of 16 parishes and is located in the district of Santarém in the Ribatejo Province”.
This is the facade of the City Council of Tomar. It is from here that the Municipality of Tomar, made of 16 parishes in an area of 351 square kilometers, is governed
Behind the building of the City Council of Tomar, located at Praça da República, you can see the Castle of the Knights Templar. This area is basically the centre of the town
Another angle of the Town Council of Tomar at Praça da República. At the time in 2010, there was an exhibition of paintings of the famous Portuguese artist Nadir Afonso
At Praça da República in Tomar lies the statue of Dom Gualdim Pais, the Grand Master of the Order of the Knights Templar, who founded the City of Tomar in 1161. Gualdim Pais and his army managed to defend the Castle of Tomar when the Almoravids of the kingdom of Morocco invaded the town. Despite being greatly outnumbered Gualdim Pais and his knights were able to defend the city and in the process, the North of Portugal remained in peace and in the hands of the Portuguese.
This is the statue of Dom Gualdim Pains, the founder of Tomar in 1161. He became the Grande Master of the Order of the Knights Templar, after fighting alongside the King of Portugal Afonso I
The statue of Guladim Pais lies at Praça da República in Tomar. Gualdim Pais was born in Amares in the north of Portugal but made Tomar his town and died there in 1195
The statue of Gualdim Pais honours a great Portuguese knight who built the Castle of Tomar and founded a new town, which at the time was near the border of Muslim states
I’ve already shown the Church of São João Baptista in Tomar in another category of this site, under Churches and Chapels, but these photos refer to a topic specifically related to Praça da República, and they are photos shot from a certain distance. You can also see the statue of Gualdim Pais, the founder of Tomar from a distance, not to mention the pigeons which you can find in great abundance in this square.
Praça da República in the City of Tomar and at some distance is the statue of Gualdim Pais, the founder of Tomar, and the Church of São João Baptista
Still Praça da República in Tomar. Photo shot from Rua de São João, which at the end emerges at Rua Everard, also known as Levada
Praça da República can be translated as Republic Square in English. Th9ough it's not visible in the photo, this is also the plaza where the Town Council is situated
Some people like to sit down on a bench in a public place and watch people passing by, but when I shot these photos at Praça da República (Republic Square) in Tomar, I didn’t have that luxury. I mean in that spot, I didn’t have a bench to sit down and relax. So I just stood there, camera ready, because I wanted to catch the atmosphere around the square and the church of São João Baptista at the City of Tomar. So I pretended I was just interested in the buildings around that square, when in fact I was a little bit more curious about people passing by. Spontaneous photos of people is somewhat intriguing to me and I believe that in this occasion I got a few interesting shots.
The gentleman in the foreground of this photo appeared to be a tourist. At least he didn't look like Portuguese. May be an Englishman or perhaps a German citizen
Another gentleman at praça da República, walking past the Church of São João Basptist. Judging by his dark glasses and serene walking, he was possibly another tourist visiting Tomar
In this photo, among a few other people, there is a nun, who at the time went by the main entrance of the Church of São João Baptista in Tomar, but she didn't go in. Instead she headed to the street known as Rua Infantaria Quinze
People have traveled since the beginning of times, and for that purpose they built roads, sidewalks and even plazas and paved them with different materials, but cobblestones, probably due to its durability and longevity, was the most widely used material for centuries. Nowadays cities use asphalt for their roads but cobblestones are still used today for decorative purposes. In the case of my home town Tomar, there is a mix of cobblestone pavements from medieval times in the old streets of Tomar and new pavements built with interesting designs. The photos below show cobblestone pavements at Praça da República (Republic Square).
Cobblestone pavement at Praça da República in Tomar, Portugal. On the other side of this shrub you can see the statue of Gualdim Pais, the founder of Tomar
Another perspective of a Cobblestone pavement at Republic Square (Praça da República) in Tomar. On the left is the building of the Town Council
This cobblestone pavement with parallel lines crossing each other, is still at Praça da República in the City of Tomar, facing the street Corredoura (Rua Serpa Pinto).
This collection of photos are from Republic Square (Praça da República) in the City of Tomar in Portugal. It is here that the Town Council of Tomar (Câmara Municipal de Tomar) is located, as well as the statue of Gualdim Pais, the founder of Tomar. From here you can also see on top of the hills the Castle of the Knights Templar. Republic Square is basically the city centre and it is here that many cultural events take place, as you will be able to see in other photos published in this site.
This is Republic Square (Praça da República) in Tomar, Portugal. The building in the centre is the Town Council and on top of the hills is the Castle of Tomar. On the left is the statue of Gualdim Pais, the founder of the city
Another view of Republic Square in Tomar. The flags and symbols around the square are Portuguese symbols of the maritime discoveries and the colours of Tomar
Republic Square (Praça da República) in the City of Tomar, Portugal and old buildings on the right side