PORTUGAL - TOMAR

Convent of the Order of Christ / Convento de Cristo

The Convent of the Order of Christ (Portuguese: Convento de Cristo), in Tomar, Portugal, was originally a Templar stronghold built in the 12th century. After the Order of the Knights Templar was dissolved in the 14th century, the Portuguese branch of the order was turned into the Knights of the Order of Christ, which supported Portugal's maritime discoveries of the 15th century. The Convent of Christ of Tomar is one of Portugal's most important historical and artistic monuments and has been in the World Heritage list of UNESCO since 1983.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convent_of_the_Order_of_Christ
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomar

PORTUGAL - FERREIRA do ZEZERE

Dornes é uma freguesia portuguesa do concelho de Ferreira do Zêzere, com 19,00 km² de área e 714 habitantes (2001). Densidade: 37,6 hab/km². A Vila de Dornes situa-se numa pequena península à beira-Zêzere, no concelho de Ferreira do Zêzere. Foi sede de concelho entre 1513 e 1836. Era constituído pelas freguesias de Beco, Dornes e Paio Mendes. Em 1801 tinha 2 287 habitantes e 43 km². A freguesia de Dornes situa-se no extremo norte do distrito de Santarém, concelho de Ferreira do Zêzere. Eclesiásticamente pertence ao Bispado de Coimbra e turisticamente está integrada na Região de Turismo dos Templários. Dornes faz fronteira, através do rio Zêzere (Albufeira de Castelo do Bode), com a freguesia de Cernache do Bonjardim, concelho da Sertã e distrito de Castelo Branco. No concelho de Ferreira do Zêzere faz fronteira com as freguesias Águas Belas, Beco e Paio Mendes. Compõem esta freguesia a Vila de Dornes, sede histórica e religiosa da freguesia e os lugares de Barrada, Cagida, Carril, Casal Ascenso Antunes, Casal da Mata, Frazoeira, Joaninho, Junqueira, Lameirancha, Macieira da Rocha, Peralfaia, Quinta da Benta, Quintas, Ribeiro da Coroa, Rio Cimeiro, Rio Fundeiro, Salão de Baixo, Salão de Cima e Vale Serrão.

• http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dornes

PORTUGAL - TOMAR

Janela do Capitulo / Chapter House Window

During the administration of Prince Henry the Navigator (first half of the 15th century), a gothic nave was added to the round church of the Convent, thus turning the round church into a church apse. From 1510 onwards, King Manuel I ordered the rebuilding of the nave in the style of the time, a mix of late gothic and renaissance that would be called Manueline style by art historians. The architects involved were the Portuguese Diogo de Arruda and the Spaniard João de Castilho. From the outside, the rectangular nave is covered by abundant Manueline motifs, including gargoyles, gothic pinnacles, statues and "ropes" that remind the ones used in the ships during the Age of Discovery, as well as the Cross of the Order of Christ and the emblem of King Manuel I, the armillary sphere. The so-called Window of the Chapter House (Janela do Capítulo), a huge window visible from the Saint Barbara Cloister in the Western façade of the nave, carries most of the typical Manueline motifs: the symbols of the Order of Christ and of Manuel I, and fantastic and unprecedented elaborations of ropes, corals and vegetal motifs. A human figure in the bottom of the window probably represents the designer, Diogo de Arruda. This window of the Convent constitutes one of the masterworks of Manueline decoration. Above is a smaller circular window and a balustrade. The façade is divided by two string courses of knotted ropes. The round angle buttresses are decorated with gigantic garters (alluding to investiture of Manuel I by the Order of the Garter by the English king Henry VII). The entrance of the church is done through a magnificent lateral portal, also decorated with abundant Manueline motifs and statues of the Virgin with the Child as well as the Prophets of the Old Testament. This portal was designed by João de Castilho around 1530. In the interior, the Manueline nave is connected to the Romanesque round church by a large arch. The nave is covered by beautiful ribbed vaulting and has a high choir that used to have Manueline choir stalls, unfortunately destroyed by invading Napoleonic troops in the early 19th century. Under the high choir there is a room that used to be the sacristy of the church. Its window is the famous Chapter House Window already mentioned.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convent_of_the_Order_of_Christ

PORTUGAL - TOMAR

AQUEDUTO dos PEGOES ALTOS

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomar

PORTUGAL - LISBON

The Castle of São Jorge

The Castle of São Jorge (English: Castle of Saint George) is the Castle of Lisbon, the capital city of Portugal, and is located in the highest hill of the historic centre of the city. It is one of the main historical and tourist sites of the city.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sao_Jorge_Castle

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PORTUGAL - FÁTIMA

Our Lady of Fátima is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary by those who believe that she appeared to three shepherd children at Fátima, Portugal on the 13th day of six consecutive months in 1917, starting on 13 May, the Fátima holiday. The three children were Lúcia dos Santos and her cousins, siblings Francisco and Jacinta Marto. The title of Our Lady of the Rosary is also sometimes used in reference to the same apparition; because the children related that the Lady in the apparition specifically identified Herself as "the Lady of the Rosary." It is also common to see a combination of these titles, i.e., Our Lady of the Rosary of Fátima (Portuguese: ''Nossa Senhora do Rosário de Fátima'').

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Fatima

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PORTUGAL - FÁTIMA

Our Lady of Fátima is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary by those who believe that she appeared to three shepherd children at Fátima, Portugal on the 13th day of six consecutive months in 1917, starting on 13 May, the Fátima holiday. The three children were Lúcia dos Santos and her cousins, siblings Francisco and Jacinta Marto. The title of Our Lady of the Rosary is also sometimes used in reference to the same apparition (although it was first used in 1208 for the reported apparition in the church of Prouille); because the children related that the Lady in the apparition specifically identified Herself as "the Lady of the Rosary." It is also common to see a combination of these titles, i.e., Our Lady of the Rosary of Fátima (Portuguese: ''Nossa Senhora do Rosário de Fátima'').

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Fatima
• http://www.santuario-fatima.pt/portal/index.php?lang=EN