The best MTB trails around Tomar (São João Baptista)

The Praça da República and the Igreja Matriz de São João Baptista are the historical and cultural heart of Tomar, a city deeply linked to the history of the Knights Templar in Portugal. This square is the nerve center of Tomar, surrounded by historic buildings and offering a charming atmosphere.

The Church of Saint John the Baptist (Portuguese: Igreja de São João Baptista) was built between the 15th and 16th centuries by King Manuel I in the Manueline style. As its name suggests, the church is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. The church features many interesting artistic details, such as the flamboyant Gothic portal, the Manueline tower with a 16th-century clock, the decorated capitals of the interior columns of the nave, and several panels painted in the 1530s by one of Portugal's most important Renaissance artists, Gregório Lopes.

A model of a hydraulic water wheel, once used to irrigate fields or supply water to mills. The wheel was built in 1976 and has been rebuilt and renovated several times. It is located in the Parque do Mouchão.

The city of Tomar was founded by the Knights Templar in the 12th century on land granted by Portugal’s first king. The order set up a convent on a hill and by the riverside plotted what would be the last Templar town in the world. The Convent of Christ is a World Heritage Site, with magnificent architecture perfected over more than 300 years. When the Order of Christ took over from the Knights Templat, Tomar was where many Portuguese voyages in the Age of Discovery were planned. And as the order’s governor, the world-changing explorer Henry the Navigator lived in Tomar and took charge of its expansion in the 15th century.

Construction started on it in 1593 by Italian architect Filippo Terzi and ended in 1613. The aqueduct is nearly 6 km long (3.7 miles) and for centuries remained the most important source of water to the monks who lived in the Convento de Cristo. Most tourists will actually be surprised to find such a huge structure in a small city like Tomar.

Church of St. John the Baptist

Typical monument near Tomar.

The statue of Dom Gualdim Pais, located in the center of Praça da República, honors one of the most important and emblematic figures in the history of the Templars in Portugal. Founder of the city of Tomar, he was born in the region of Braga, in 1118. The squire of D. Afonso Henriques fought alongside the Moors, being ordained knight by the monarch in the battlefield of Ourique in 1139. He then left for Palestine, where he remained for 5 years as a Knight of the Templar. In 1157, he returned to Portugal and was appointed Master of the Order of the Temple in Portugal, a position he held over 40 years. He died in Tomar in 1195 and is buried in the Church of Santa Maria dos Olivais, pantheon of the Temple teachers. - Tourism Tomar