June 9: Tomar, Companhia dos Lizerias

Dear Friends and Relatives,

I do hope that you are getting all these emails of mine, as I am barely hearing from anyone.   Let me know that you are receiving these emails in a timely manner, if you will.

Today we took a short drive to the town of Tomar--charming, small, and on the banks of the Nabao River.  Its old quarter is attractive, laid out as a grid of cobbled streets centered on a square.  Standing sentry over the town is the Convento do Cristo, founded along with the town in 1160 as the headquarters of the Knights Templar, scourge of the Moors and defenders of the faith.  Castle and town both survived Moorish siege and attack in 1190, after which Tomar prospered in line with the gradual establishment of Portugal as a regional and imperial force.  

The Convento de Cristo is one of Portugal's most important historical buildings.  It served both as a military nerve center and as a religious foundation.  It was built by Gualdim Pais, who in 1157 became the Grand Master of the Order of the Knights Templar.  When the Templar order was later suppressed, it was re-established in 1319 as the Order of Christ, and Tomar once again served as its headquarters.  The order was later at the center of Portugal's emerging maritime empire, and under Prince Henry the Navigator, the castle became both lavish palace and monastic center.  The first structure that Gualdim Pais built was the Charola, a round temple modeled on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.  

There were eight cloisters to be seen, but if there was one place that revealed wealth and care, it was the Janela do Capitolo or the Chapter House window, added to the west facade of the nave between 1510-1513, featuring the full Manueline treatment of maritime and imperial motifs, twisted ropes, knots, swirls, vegetation, crosses, and globes--a wild juxtaposition!

From the Convento do Cristo, we headed to the historic center of Tomar to visit the synagogue, which dates from the Middle Ages.  With the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492, the town became a haven for Jewish refugees and traders.  The very large Jewish minority dynamized the city with new trades and skills, and their experience was vital in the success of the new trade routes with Africa.  Tomar's excellently preserved 15th c. synagogue, now the Museu Hebraico Abraao Zacuto, is named after the astronomer who prepared navigational aids for Vasco da Gama.  Following the expulsion of the Jews in 1496, the temple was abandoned and later served as a prison and then a private house, before being adopted as a national monument.  

Following these visits, we rode the bus to the Ribatejo region, where horses and bulls are raised.  Wine has also been produced in this area for 2000 years.  We had lunch at the headquarters of the Companhia das Lezirias, a traditional Portuguese homestead (there was a buffet, at which we were treated to many Portuguese dishes, all of which I enjoyed immensely, except for octopus).  The Companhia is a state-run agriculture and forestry company (cork, pine, oak).  It was founded in the 19th c. by the Portuguese Crown, when it sold properties located near the capital of Lisbon.  It comprised 48,000 hectares of land, but the property was reduced to less than half by global crises such as the Great Depression and WW I and WW II, and by political turmoil and local climate and seismic catastrophes.  Nevertheless, the company has been an important infrastructure for Portuguese agriculture throughout history.  Its technical developments in animal and vegetable farming as well as in forestry are important.  The company is an ecological sanctuary and farming area, producing rice, wine, cork, and livestock.  It also is a reputed breeder of the Lusitano horse and several different types of cattle, and we had a fascinating time walking and sometimes driving to inspect their various ecological concerns.

From the Companhia we had about a 2-hour drive to our new pousada in the town of Estremoz, SE of Lisbon.  It dates from the 13th c. and was built by King Alfonso III to defend the region from attacks by the kingdom of Castile.  The outer shell, with crenellated battlements, still stands at the top of a hill overlooking the city of Estremoz.  The bus could not take us all the way to the top, so we walked up with our hand luggage, and eventually our suitcases were delivered to us.  The hotel was opened to the public in 1970.  Predominantly 17th and 18th c. Portuguese furniture and paintings decorate the interior, and there is a beautiful pool and a garden next to the battlements, which look out onto a dramatic skyline.  

For dinner, in a lavish dining room, we just completed a very good repast of scrambled eggs and asparagus; hake fish with potato and pea salad, and a pear swathed in liqueur and accompanied by cinnamon ice cream.  Long day, so I will bid all of you a fond adieu.  Take care, Sylvia / Mami

Sylvia M. Venable, PhD

Instructor, German

St. John's Episcopal School

Dallas, Texas