About the Convent of Christ

Category: Nature > Garden

District: Santarém > Tomar > Tomar > São João Baptista e Santa Maria dos Olivais

Location

Situated in the city of Tomar, in the parish of São João Baptista and Santa Maria dos Olivais, the Enclosure of the Convent of Christ is a vast green area that surrounds the monumental conventual complex and the castle. This natural area extends over a massif of seven hills, with varied relief, arranged from north to south in the shape of a horseshoe, and is cut by a small valley where a stream flows towards the Nabão river.

The Enclosure offers a unique landscape setting for the Convent and the Castle, both built on the summit of one of these elevations. It is possible to access this green space directly from the city of Tomar through a gateway in Praça do Infante D. Henrique, harmoniously connecting urbanity to natural serenity.

Historical and Conventual Legacy

From the earliest times of the Templar presence in Tomar, this extensive rural area was already recognized as the Place of the Seven Hills. It was in this landscape, on one of its northernmost hills, that the Knights Templar laid the foundations of the castle in 1160.

Later, in the 16th century, with the profound reforms in the Order of Christ, King D. João III ordered the construction of a robust wall, which followed the ridge of the hills, to enclose the friars. This act transformed the Place of the Seven Hills into the private enclosure of the convent, thus integrating this rural domain directly into the monastic and spiritual life of the religious.

Landscape Diversity and Green Architecture

The Enclosure of the Convent of Christ, also known as the Seven Hills National Forest, is today a diverse space that combines leisure areas with the heritage of its former productive uses, such as orchards and vegetable gardens. Visitors can explore a variety of environments that reflect different eras and functions.

Inside the walls, near the convent's entrance, one discovers a formal garden with a Baroque design, flanked by ancient orchards and orange groves. Further south, one finds the aromatic garden and the extensive Friars' Vegetable Gardens, arranged in terraces, which bear witness to the complex's self-sufficiency. Outside the walls, the Renaissance enclosure preserves structures from the 15th and 16th centuries, including an ingenious irrigation system. One of the points of interest is the Charolinha, a unique circular fresco house built over a tank, and remains of an olive mill near the arcade of the aqueduct that once supplied the convent. Numerous paths traverse the valley, allowing for strolls between nature and history.

Atmosphere and Contemplation

The beauty and atmosphere of the Enclosure have been praised throughout the centuries. The writer Fernão Álvares do Oriente, at the end of the 16th century, described this place as a "forest so hidden from the eyes of shepherds, that it seems to deny entry not only to sight but also to thought," capturing its essence of refuge and mystery.

This vast green space maintains a welcoming character, ideal for solitude and contemplation. Its winding trails invite long walks, providing serene contact with nature. Here, one can observe a diversity of tree and shrub species, such as olive trees, cork oaks, strawberry trees, among others, which compose a rich and tranquil landscape, just as the monks once enjoyed it.

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt