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CASTELO DE BODE HISTORIC SITES
Almourol Templar castle in the middle of the Tagus river at sunset, Portugal.
Tomar Templar Castle's main entry and garden, Portugal.
Dornes village at dusk, Ferreira do Zêzere, Portugal.
Almourol Templar castle in the middle of the Tagus river at sunset, Portugal.
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Around Castelo de Bode Lake, there are numerous historical sites to discover, ranging from prehistoric sites to anthropomorphic graves, indications of Roman and Moorish occupations, and the Templars' historical legacy. Blue Lake House is only 20 minutes' drive from Tomar, the Templar city that is home to the Convent of Christ and is designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Only 30 minutes away are the charming village of Dornes with its Templar tower, the cave of Avecasta, and the Roman bridge at Quebrada do Meio.
CONVENT OF CHRIST
From Blue Lake House, it takes about 20 minutes to Tomar. Once home to the Knights Templar, Tomar is a charming city of great artistic and cultural wealth. The city's calling card, the Convent of Christ Monastery, is one of the most important buildings of the Portuguese Renaissance.
Whatever your reason for visiting the city, you should definitely see the Templar Castle and the monumental Convent of Christ. The Charola is the oldest part. This Templar choir dates back to the 12th century, as does the castle, which was the most modern and progressive military stronghold of the kingdom at the time, inspired by the fortifications of the Holy Land. The choir was converted into a main chapel in the 16th century by order of King Manuel I. It was then given its magnificent splendor, which has been preserved to this day, and for which it has been recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Other points of interest are the Church of St. Maria dos Olivais, the Pantheon of the Knights Templar, where several masters of this order were buried, the Mouchão Wheel, an inheritance from the Muslim occupation, and the Mata dos Sete Montes.
Whatever your reason for visiting the city, you should definitely see the Templar Castle and the monumental Convent of Christ. The Charola is the oldest part. This Templar choir dates back to the 12th century, as does the castle, which was the most modern and progressive military stronghold of the kingdom at the time, inspired by the fortifications of the Holy Land. The choir was converted into a main chapel in the 16th century by order of King Manuel I. It was then given its magnificent splendor, which has been preserved to this day, and for which it has been recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Other points of interest are the Church of St. Maria dos Olivais, the Pantheon of the Knights Templar, where several masters of this order were buried, the Mouchão Wheel, an inheritance from the Muslim occupation, and the Mata dos Sete Montes.
DORNES
Dornes is located on a peninsula in Castelo do Bode Blue Lake. The origin of the village is linked to the mediaeval legend of Nossa Senhora do Pranto, the patron saint that annually inspires the organisation of secular "Círios" from all over the country. There is a mysterious pentagonal mediaeval watch tower built by the Templars to control the river passage. From the village of Paio Mendes, another community of Ferreira do Zêzere, there is an old pilgrimage road with 14 crosses that ends at the church of Nossa Senhora do Pranto in Dornes.
AVECASTA CAVE
An important cave-based archaeological site demonstrates nearly continuous human habitation between the Neolithic and the Middle Ages. It is assumed that during the Bronze Age, it served as a home for a settlement. Local residents claim that during the French invasions about 200 years ago, the villagers of the village sought refuge in the Avecasta Cave.
ALMOUROL CASTLE
The mysterious Almourol Castle, one of Portugal's most famous reminders of the Christian Reconquista, is perched on an island in the middle of the Tagus River.
Its history is reminiscent of the reconquest of the territory during the Middle Ages. When the Christians arrived here in 1129, the castle already existed under the name Almorolan, having been included in the lands given to the Knights Templar under the orders of Gualdim Pais. According to an inscription at the entrance, the reconstruction work dates back to 1171.
Together with the castles of Tomar, Zêzere, and Cardiga, they formed the defensive line of the Tagus River.
After the Templar Order was extinguished and the need to defend the territory vanished, it was resurrected by the Romantic spirit of the nineteenth century, which guided its restoration and gave it the appearance we see today.
Its history is reminiscent of the reconquest of the territory during the Middle Ages. When the Christians arrived here in 1129, the castle already existed under the name Almorolan, having been included in the lands given to the Knights Templar under the orders of Gualdim Pais. According to an inscription at the entrance, the reconstruction work dates back to 1171.
Together with the castles of Tomar, Zêzere, and Cardiga, they formed the defensive line of the Tagus River.
After the Templar Order was extinguished and the need to defend the territory vanished, it was resurrected by the Romantic spirit of the nineteenth century, which guided its restoration and gave it the appearance we see today.
ROMAN BRIDGE
Near the village of Quebrada do Meio, there is a stretch of pavement and a bridge dating from the period of the Roman occupation. The Romans had a strong presence in this region, and Quinto Sertório (72 BC) is credited with laying the foundations for the Pentagonal Tower in Dornes, a strategic point in the enchanted peninsula of Zêzere.
AVECASTA MILL
In the village of Avecasta, at the top of a hill of karst vegetation battered by the northeast wind, one of three old windmills is preserved.
This mill is made of wooden trunks and rests on a stone circle, which allows the structure to move according to the direction of the wind.
From time to time, the miller still climbs the hill of Avecasta and, with the aid of the energy of the wind, flours the cereal there.
This mill is made of wooden trunks and rests on a stone circle, which allows the structure to move according to the direction of the wind.
From time to time, the miller still climbs the hill of Avecasta and, with the aid of the energy of the wind, flours the cereal there.
S. PEDRO DE CASTRO
According to tradition, this rustic temple was erected on the site of a Roman settlement on a hill by the Zêzere River. Stones from an ancient settlement were used in the construction of this temple, and two Roman tombstones are included in the façade. The Gothic portal and a Romanesque capital are noteworthy. On the main façade, a Roman tombstone with the following inscription is still preserved: "To the Manes Gods. Antónia Máxima, Antónia Modesta, her mother, and Lúcio Abílio Celer, her husband, had it made in memory."
OURÉM CASTLE
Ourém Castle is one of the most innovative works of military architecture of the 15th century in Portugal. The Count of Ourém, grandson of D. Nuno Álvares Pereira, commissioned it, and it has a compact structure with modern active defence systems, including two large pentagonal towers that act as bulwarks and offer greater resistance to shelling.
At the top of the hill, behind the palace and the castle, is the primitive castle of "Abdegas", the ancient name for this village, whose construction dates back to the 12th century. Ourém Castle was captured from the Moors in 1136.
It is undoubtedly linked to the legend of the Fátima/Oureana Moor, to D. Afonso IV, Count of Ourém, and to the House of Bragança Foundation.
At the top of the hill, behind the palace and the castle, is the primitive castle of "Abdegas", the ancient name for this village, whose construction dates back to the 12th century. Ourém Castle was captured from the Moors in 1136.
It is undoubtedly linked to the legend of the Fátima/Oureana Moor, to D. Afonso IV, Count of Ourém, and to the House of Bragança Foundation.
VALE DA LAJE DOLMEN
With a history of over 7500 years, the Vale da Laje dolmen is considered "the oldest megalithic funerary monument north of the Tagus." For almost three thousand years, about ninety bodies were buried there, which were accompanied by vases, axes, knives, arrows, schist plaques, and other objects in stone, ceramic, bone, and wood. These objects can be seen at the Prehistory Center of the Polytechnic Institute of Tomar and at the Upper Ribatejo Archaeology Interpretation Center (CIAAR), in Vila Nova da Barquinha.
BATALHA MONASTERY
The Monastery of Santa Maria da Vitória, also known as Batalha Monastery, is a magnificent structure that has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was built in the 14th century, combining Manueline and Gothic styles, to fulfil D. João I promise to the Virgin if they defeat the Castilians in the Battle of Aljubarrota in 1385. In this battle, 6,500 Portuguese defeated an army of 30,000 Castilians, led by Juan I of Castilla, who claimed João D’Avis throne for himself. Nuno Álvares Pereira led the Portuguese, who were backed up by hundreds of English soldiers. This general played a very important role during the Portuguese crisis that took place between 1383 and 1385. Nowadays, it is possible to see an honorific equestrian statue of him.
FÁTIMA
The name of the town is derived from the Arabic name (Fāţimah, Arabic: فاطمة ), one of the prophet Muhammad's daughters. There is an unconfirmed legend that the toponym derives from a local Moorish princess by the name of Fatimah who, after having been captured by the Christian army during the Christian Reconquista, was given in marriage to a count of Ourem. Having converted to the Christian religion, she was baptised and given the name Oriana in 1158. The mountainous lands were named Terras de Fátima by the count, in memory of his ancestors, and the county was named Oriana, later called Ourém.
The history of the city of Fátima is, however, more associated with the phenomenon of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary. Firstly, around the year 1758, Our Lady appeared to a mute shepherd girl in the place where today stands the Shrine of Our Lady of Ortiga, and later, already in the 20th century, to three other children, known as "The Three Little Shepherds." Lucia dos Santos and her cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, on May 13, 1917.
The history of the city of Fátima is, however, more associated with the phenomenon of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary. Firstly, around the year 1758, Our Lady appeared to a mute shepherd girl in the place where today stands the Shrine of Our Lady of Ortiga, and later, already in the 20th century, to three other children, known as "The Three Little Shepherds." Lucia dos Santos and her cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, on May 13, 1917.
COIMBRA
Coimbra is a vibrant city with a long and colourful history that rises picturesquely from the Rio Mondego. It is the location of Portugal's oldest and most esteemed university and served as the country's capital during the Middle Ages for more than a century. With its dark cobblestone lanes and imposing cathedral, its steeply stacked historic centre, which dates to Moorish times, is incredibly atmospheric. The haunting metallic sounds of the guitarra (a Portuguese guitar) and the rich, deep voices of fado singers echo off the city's old stone walls on summer evenings.
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