In 1160 after successfully driving the Moors out of Portugal, the Knights Templar were granted land in Tomar where they built a castle fortress. For approximately 150 years, the Castle of Tomar was their headquarters for the Templars. In the early 1300s. the Templars were disbanded – something to do with debts of the king of France and a deal made with the pope.
At that time, a convent (what I would call a monastery) was constructed adjacent to the castle. The two structures together are massive – just the gardens inside of the castle walls measure 65 acres.
I can’t do this structure justice by describing it with words so I’ll let pictures tell the story.
