Tomar
For the Indian surname, see Tomara.Tomar (
pron. IPA //), also known in English as
Thomar, is a city of some 20,000 and also a municipality in
Portugal with a total area of 351.0
km² and a total population of 43,007 inhabitants.
The municipality is composed of 16 parishes, and is located in the district of
Santarém.
It was founded as head-quarters of the
Knights Templar in Portugal in the
12th century and contains some of the most significant Templar monuments in
Europe. Tomar was especially important in the
15th century when it was a centre of Portuguese overseas expansion under
Henry the Navigator, the Grand Master of the
Order of Christ, successor organization to the Templars in Portugal.
* Além da Ribeira
* Alviobeira
* Asseiceira
* Beselga
* Carregueiros
* Casais
* Junceira
*
Madalena* Olalhas
* Paialvo
*
Pedreira* Sabacheira
* São Pedro de Tomar (part of Tomar City)
* São João Baptista (part of Tomar City)
* Santa Maria dos Olivais (part of Tomar City)
*
SerraTomar lies in the most fertile region of Portugal, and one of the most fertile in the whole of the
Iberian Peninsula: the
Ribatejo ("by the river
Tagus") meadows. It is located in the
district of Santarém.The predominant treescape is agricultural and is comprised of
olive,
pine and
fig trees.
The seat of the municipality is the city of
Tomar (which comprises the parishes of Santa Maria dos Olivais and São João Baptista). Tomar is also the capital of the
Médio Tejo (Mid-
Tagus river) region.
The
Nabão river cuts across what was the ancient city of Nabantia: its inhabitants are called
Nabantinos.
|
View of Tomar and the Nabão river. |
|
Church of São João Baptista (15-16th centuries) in the centre of Tomar. |
 |
View of the round Templar church (12th century) of the Convent of Christ. |
Under the modern city lie the
Roman cities of
Nabantia and
Sellium. After the conquest of the region from the
moors in the Portuguese
Reconquista, the land was granted in
1159 as a
fief to the
Order of the Knights Templar. Its then Grand Master in Portugal, and Tomar's somewhat mythical founder,
Gualdim Pais, laid in
1160 the first stone of the
Castle and Monastery that would become the Head-Quarters of the Order in Portugal. The
Foro or feudal contract was granted in
1162 by the Grand Master to the people. The Templars ruled from Tomar a vast region of central Portugal which they pledged to defend from Moorish attacks and raids. Like many lords of the unpopulated former frontier region of central Portugal, the villains were given relatively liberal conditions in comparison with those of the northern regions of Portugal, in order to attract new immigrants. Those inhabitants which could sustain a horse were obliged to pay military service in return for privileges. They were not allowed the title of
Knight which was reserved to the
monks. Women were also admitted to the Order, although they didn't fight.
In
1190 the town was besieged by the Muslim
Almohad King Yakub of
Morocco but the Knights successfully defended it.
In
1314, under pressure from the
Pope, who wanted the Templars banned throughout
Europe, King
Dinis negotiated instead to transfer the possessions and personnel of the order in Portugal to a newly created
Order of Christ. This Order in
1319 moved south to
Castro Marim, but in
1356 it returned to Tomar.In the
15th century the (cleric) Grand Master began to be nominated by the Pope, and the (lay) Master or Governor by the King, instead of being elected by the monks.
Henry the Navigator was made the Governor of the Order, and it is believed that he used the resources and knowledge of the Order to succeed in his enterprises in
Africa and in the
Atlantic. The cross of the Order of Christ that was painted in the sails of the
caravels that crossed the seas, and the
catholic missions in the new lands were to be under the authority of the Tomar clerics until
1514.Henry, enriched by his overseas enterprises, was the first ruler to ameliorate the buildings of the
Convento de Cristo since its construction by Gualdim Pais. He also ordered dams to be built to control the river Nabão and swamps to be drained. This allowed the burgeoning town to attract more settlers. Henry ordered the new streets to be designed in a rational, geometrical fashion, as they can still be seen today.
In
1438 the
King Duarte, away from
Lisbon because of the
Black Death, died there instead.
Just after
1492 with the expulsion of the
Jews from
Spain, the town increased further with Jewish refugee
artisans and traders. The very large Jewish minority dynamized the city with new trades and skills. Their experience was vital in the success of the new trade routes with
Africa. The original
synagogue still stands.
In the reign of
Manuel I of Portugal the convent took its final form within the
Manueline renaissance style. With the growing importance of the town as master of Portugal's overseas empire, the leadership of the Order was granted to the King by the Pope.
However, under pressure from the Monarchs of Spain, the King soon proclaimed by
Edict that all the Jews remaining within the territory of Portugal would be after a short period considered Christians, although simultaneously he forbade them to leave, fearing that the exodus of Jewish men of knowledge and capital would harm Portugal's burgeoning commercial empire. Jews were largely undisturbed as nominal Christians for several decades, until the establishment of a Tribunal of the
Inquisition by the initiative of the Catholic Clergy in the town. Under persecution, wealthier Jews fled, most others were forced to convert. Hundreds of both Jews and
New Christians were arrested, tortured and burned at the stake in
autos da fé, in a frenzy of persecution that peaked in around
1550. Many others were expropriated of their property. Jewish ascendancy, more than Jewish religion, together with personal wealth determined whom would be persecuted, since the expropriations reverted to the institution of the Inquisition itself. The town lost then with the persecution of its merchants and professionals most of its relevance as a trading centre. New Christian names among the inhabitants are very common today.
In
1581 the city was the seat of the
Cortes (Feudal Parliament) which acclaimed the King of
Spain Felipe II as Portugal's
Felipe I.
During the
18th century Tomar was one of the first regions of Portugal in industry. In the reign of
Maria I, with royal support, a textile factory of
Jácome Ratton was established against the opposition of the Order. The hydraulic resources of the river Nabão were used to supply energy to this and many other factories, namely paper factories, foundries, glassworks, silks and soaps.
Tomar was occupied by the
French during the
Napoleonic invasions, against which it rebelled.
Wellington with his Portuguese and English troops liberated the city afterwards.
In
1834 all the religious orders, including the Order of Christ, were extinguished.
Tomar attracts many tourists because of its varied monuments. These include:
*
Castle and Convent of the Order of Christ: Magnificent ensemble of 12th to 16th century-architecture and art, it is the main monument of the city and one of the most important in Portugal. Declared a
Unesco World Heritage Site*
Church of Santa Maria do Olival: This gothic church (13th century) was built as burial ground for the Templar Knights.
*
Synagogue: Tomar has the best preserved mediaeval
synagogue of Portugal. It was built in the mid-15th century and has an interesting interior with gothic
vaulting and columns with classic
capitals. Since 1939 it houses the small
Jewish Museum Abraão Zacuto, with interesting pieces related to Jewish history in Portugal.
*
Church of Saint John the Baptist (
São João Baptista): The main church of Tomar is located in the main square of the town, in front of the Municipality (17th century) and a modern statue of
Gualdim Pais. The church was built between the 15th and 16th centuries and has many interesting artistic details, like the flamboyant gothic portal, the manueline tower with a 16th century clock, the decorated capitals of the inner columns of the
nave and several painted panels dated from the 1530's and painted by one of Portugal's best renaissance artists,
Gregório Lopes.
*
Chapel of Our Lady of the Conception (
Nossa Senhora da Conceição): Chapel built in the second half of the 16th century in pure renaissance style, was intended to be the burial chapel of
King John III. Its beautiful and clear architecture turns it into one of the best early renaissance buildings in Portugal.
*
Church and Convent of Saint Iria: Located near the Nabão river, this early 16th century building has a nice renaissance portal and altar, as well as manueline architectonic details.
The streets and squares of the picturesque centre of Tomar are organised following a chessboard pattern, a rare feature for a mediaeval city. Scattered throughout the town there are many interesting houses with
renaissance,
baroque and
romantic façades. By the river Nabão, near the bridge, there is a park and garden that offer nice views of the city and surroundings.
Tomar is historically one of the prime industrial and commercial centres of Portugal.
Tourism is an important source of revenue, since the
Convento de Cristo is a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.There is a commercial centre with many shops and considerable local attractiveness.The main industries today are
paper,
wood products,
foodstuffs,
ceramics, and other
light industries.The main agricultural products of the municipality are
olive oil,
wine,
wheat and
nuts.
The present Mayor is António Paulino Silva Paiva (
Social Democrat).
The municipal holiday is
March 1.
There is an important festival every four years, the Festival of the
Tabuleiros. The next festival will be held in June and July 2007.
*
City Hall official website*
www.i-tomar.info*
http://tomar.com.sapo.pt*
http://www.cidadetomar.pt*
Radio*
The Synagogue of Tomar
