Tower of Belém and Convent of Christ in Tomar

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Tower of Belém

   The Tower of Belém was never really a defensive tower, though it looks like a stronghold. King Manuel I ordered it built in 1514 on a rocky islet near the north bank of the Tagus, as part of a system of fortifications guarding the river mouth and the route to Lisbon, with cannon on the lower platform and living quarters above. Francisco de Arruda, who had worked in Morocco, designed it, and the style mixes Gothic, Moorish and Renaissance touches with the Manueline repertoire of ropes, shields with the Cross of the Order of Christ, and stone sails. A tiny stone rhinoceros under one of the turrets is often described as the first European sculpture of the animal, a creature that had arrived in Lisbon in 1515 as a gift for the Pope, and which Dürer famously drew from a description.

   Read the complete Tower of Belem write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Tower of Belém is where the day begins. Next is Monastery of Alcobaça.

2. 2. Monastery of Alcobaça

   In 1153, Afonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal, gave a vast estate to the Cistercian monks of Bernard of Clairvaux, and they built here one of the greatest monasteries of medieval Europe. The church of Alcobaça, with its long, soaring nave of pale stone, is austere and beautiful in the Cistercian manner, and the cloisters, dormitory, chapter house and refectory survive almost intact. The kitchen is enormous, with a huge chimney and a stream diverted through it so the monks could catch fish directly. UNESCO listed the monastery in 1989. But the main reason most visitors come is a love story.

   Read the complete Monastery of Alcobaça write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Monastery of Alcobaça comes up about 127 km into the recorded legs. Next is Convent of Christ in Tomar.

3. 3. Convent of Christ in Tomar

   The Knights Templar chose the hill above Tomar in the twelfth century, building a castle to defend the new kingdom of Portugal against the Moors, and at its heart they raised a round church, the Charola, modelled on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. When the Templars were suppressed in the fourteenth century, the Portuguese king transferred their property to a new order, the Order of Christ, which went on to finance much of Portugal's maritime expansion; Henry the Navigator was its governor. Over the centuries, the order added cloisters, chapels and dormitories, and the Convent of Christ became one of the great monuments of Portugal, inscribed on the UNESCO list in 1983.

   Read the complete Convent of Christ in Tomar write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 192 km into the recorded legs you reach Convent of Christ in Tomar. Next is back through Monastery of Alcobaça.

4. 4. back through Monastery of Alcobaça

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Monastery of Alcobaça write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Monastery of Alcobaça, late in the day. Next is Tower of Belem.

5. 5. Tower of Belém

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Tower of Belem write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Tower of Belem. That is the ride.