Em Maio de 1854 um grupo de exploradores ingleses esteve em Tomar, dentro de uma viagem cujo resultado foi a publicação de uma obra para viajar em Portugal publicada em Londres em 1855.
(À direita imagem exemplo de um túmulo de cavaleiro Templário)
Mais uma vez, estes livros antigos trazem-nos novidades.
Devo realçar que os exploradores identificam a presença de um túmulo de cavaleiro, "muito bem esculpido", provavelmente pertencente à Ordem dos Templários ou à Ordem de Cristo, a céu aberto:
"In the
middle of the wheat is a high tomb
with the recumbent effigy of a knight,
very finely sculptured."
Este Sepulcro, de acordo com a descrição dos exploradores, está perto da Ermida de Nossa Senhora da Conceição, num campo de trigo, sendo que o guia que os acompanhava identificou erradamente o monumento como a Igreja de Santa Catarina. Ou, numa outra hipótese, poderá mesmo referir-se à antiga Igreja de Santa Maria do Castelo, neste caso será já no interior da muralha. Sendo esta uma forte possibilidade. Pode por si ler todo o contexto:
"Passing the church of S. Joao
Baptista (of which presently), and
the little Praca beyond it, we begin
to ascend the steep hill, the convent
walls towering above our heads.
Turning sharply to the 1. we enter
the postern, and then the gate, of
Santiago, coming out into what is
now a wheat-field, but which was for
merly a court. Close to the walls are
the remains of the chapel of Sta. Cate
rina, built, as the guide will not fail
to assure you, by D. Caterina, queen
of D. Diniz ; but as the only queen
Catherine of Portugal was the wife of
D. Joao III., local tradition does not
preserve much accuracy here. In the
middle of the wheat is a high tomb
with the recumbent effigy of a knight,
very finely sculptured. Below this
chapel, and therefore to the S.E., is
the castle of Gualdim Paes, now the
property of the Count of Thomar."
Estamos perante um sepulcro sobrevivente ao tempo, que poderá ainda estar no local ou ter sido desviado para outra localização.
Lembro que a Igreja de Santa Maria dos Olivais incluía no seu interior os sepulcros dos cavaleiros Templários e de outros elementos da Ordem de Cristo.
A se redescobrir este túmulo, é ele só por si um forte motivo de visita e interesse profundo para os historiadores e visitantes.
Os livros de viagem Murray foram publicados a partir de 1836 em Londres por John Murray (presente na ilustração acima).
Capítulo inteiro:
HANDBOOK FOR TRAVELLERS IN PORTUGAL
LONDON:
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STKEET.
PARIS : A. & W. GALIGNANI AND CO.; STASSIN AND XAVIER.
1855
1 Ponte do Nabao,
1 *Thomar: 3766 inhab. : the best
inn is the Hospedaria de Comovos,
in the Rua da Levada. Created a
city in 1846, but not an episcopal see. This place, situated near the ruins of the ancient Nabantia, is undoubtedly one of the most interesting towns
which Portugal can show to the
ecclesiologist. Its position on either
side of the Nabao, the steep hill
that rises to the W., and is crowned
with the enormous convent of the
Order of Christ, the pilgrimage
chapel of Nossa Senhora da Piedade,
the very curious bridge, and the
spire and tower of the two ancient
parish churches surpass even Coimbra. We will first conduct the tourist
to the convent, which in its way was
unrivalled in Europe, The Templars
entered Portugal in the time of Count
Henrique, and were settled at Thomar,
in the regency of D. Teresa, under
their Master, Gualdim Paes. In 11 69
the defence of Alemtejo was intrusted
to them ; and a third of all the lands
won from the" Moors was to be their
reward. In 1190 Thomar was be
sieged by a vast army of the infidels
under the caliph Jacoob. The Temp
lars in commemoration of their suc
cessful resistance caused an inscrip
tion to be engraved on the walls of
their castle which still exists, and
where they draw largely on the faith
of their readers so far as numbers are
concerned. "In 1190, the 3rd of
July, came the Miramolim of Morocco
with 400,000 horsemen and 500,000
footmen to besiege this castle ; the
siege lasted six days, and they de
stroy ed all that could be found with
out the walls. God was pleased to
deliver the Master D. Gualdim and
his brethren, and the Caliph and his
barbarians returned to their own
country." In 1311, when the Order
of the Templars was suppressed, D.
Diniz resolved on instituting another,
which should occupy its place and
succeed to its property. The result
was the creation of the Order of
Christ in 1319. Its principal seat was
at first fixed at Castromarim (see
under Algarve), but removed hither
in 1449, when the great D. Henrique
was Grand Master.
No sufficient account of this wonder
ful convent has as yet been published,
and even Count Raczynski dismisses
the subject in a very few pages. Pass
ing the church of & Joao Baptista (of which presently), and the little Praca
beyond it, we begin to ascend the steep
bill, the convent walls towering above
our heads. Turning sharply to the 1.
we enter the postern, and then the gate,
of Santiago, coming out into what is
now a wheat-field, but which was for
merly a court. Close to the walls are
the remains of the chapel of Sta. Cate
rina, built, as the guide will not fail
to assure you, by D. Caterina, queen
of D. Diniz; but as the only queen
Catherine of Portugal was the wife of
D. Joao III., local tradition does not
preserve much accuracy here. In the
middle of the wheat is a high tomb
with the recumbent effigy of a knight,
very finely sculptured. Below this
chapel, aud therefore to the S.E., is
the castle of Gualdim Paes, now the
property of the Count of Thomar.
We next ascend a long flight of steps,
leaving to our rt. the palace of D.
Caterina, the castle, and then the
church. The whole convent consists
of 9 cloisters, besides the above-named
buildings and the aqueduct. The latter
was the work of Philip II. and Philip
III. The church received numerous
additions from D. Manoel, who before
his accession to the throne was Grand
Master, from D. Joao III., and from
D. Sebastiao "the Regretted." We
first enter the church by the great S.
door ; observe on the exterior of this
door the panelling which extends to
the roof. At the top of the whole
S. Mary with the Divine Child, and
lower down S. Jerome with other
saints. Over the door is the Sphere
of D. Manoel. The whole work is
of the richest and most extravagant
flamboyant, degenerating in parts into
cinquecento. The arrangement is
perhaps unique. The earliest part,
the choir, which would seem to date
from before the time of D. Diniz, is
16-sided; the altar is in the centre
under an octagonal canopy, which
rises to, and supports, the vaulting,
thus leaving an aisle all round. The
3 divisions of the octagonal canopy
behind the high-altar are exceedingly
rich ; they apparently represented the
Crucifixion, and have superb canopies.
On the sides of the choir are figures of kings aud ecclesiasties, with le
gends: in the vaulting, the sphere,
the arms of Portugal, and the cross
of the Order of Christ. The E. end
is an exceedingly rich recess, with
the images —by an odd juxta-position
—of Silence and S. Mary. Notice the
immensely massive chancel arch, with
the pulpit on the S. side, and the
sham painting of a pulpit on the N.
to answer it. The nave —for there
are no aisles —consists of 3 bays, but
two are taken up by the coro alto,
not properly speaking in a gallery,
but raised to a great height above the
third or easternmost bay, inaccessible
from the church, and provided with
a separate entrance. It is very plainly
fitted up : the stalls are now not di
vided except by passages : its E. screen
is of wood and marble, and the walls
are painted in the worst style of Eng
lish church wardenry to imitate squared
ashlar. Under the coro alto is the
chapter-house, low and well vaulted
in two bays, with lattice-work at the
W. end, and one of the most extra
vagant doors of D. Manoel's architec
ture on the S. This was copied by
the present king-regent at Cintra.
This magnificent church is now de
secrated, as the guide will not fail to
remind you (and the admonition, after
toiling up the long steep hill and en
tering a building that strikes like an
ice-house, is worth attending to), Que
e senhor se cobra : a Igreja estd profanada. To the S. of the church is the
Claustro dos Felippes, a handsome
cinquecento erection of two stories.
From the uppermost of these the coro
alto is entered, and, treading cau
tiously amidst the wax which is lying
to bleach on the roof, you get a good
view of the principal door. From
this place you see the aqueduct stretch
ing away towards the S.W. We may
also ascend to the roof, though no one
bird's-eye view can be obtained of the
whole building. The small thin tower
is at the E. end of the chancel, and
by its side hangs the largest bell in
Portugal, with the legend, " Benedictus Deus et Pater Domini Jesu
Christi qui confortat nos in omnibus
tribulationibus nostris." From hence the visitor will be led through the
other cloisters, which do not call for
particular description. The principal
one contains a corridor in the shape
of a T, ou either side of which were
the rooms of the brethren. Each had
a sitting-room, a bed-room, and a fireroom : in the latter the fireplace was
in the middle, and the chimney sup
ported on four shafts. In the corridor
at the junction of the horizontal and
vertical lines is the altar of N. S. da
Pacieneia. To the N. of the church
is the earliest cloister of first pointed
work, five bays on each side, and very
elegant : the azulejos round its base
and round the raised beds which con
tain orange-trees in the central court
have a good effect. Notice the re
cessed tomb of Diego da Gama, chap
lain to D. Manoel, Jan. 23rd, 1523,
que santa gloria aia. To the W. of
these cloisters is the sacristy, a Grecian
building. From hence the visitor is
conducted to the castle and the palace
of D. Caterina : they are now planted
with wheat. A good view is com
manded of the Postigo de Santiago
immediately below, beyond that the
spire of S. Joao Baptista, the city, and
in the distance the tower of N. S. dos
Olivaes, with the high ground about
Corticada in the far horizon. To the
left hand N. S. da Piedade on the top
of its steep hill, the Serra de Alboaca,
and the road to Coimbra : to the rt.
the castle of Gualdim Paes and the
valley of the Nabao.
Descending the hill, we next visit the
church of S. Joao Baptista. At the
W. end of this is the Praoa, with the
Casa da Camara opposite ; above that
the convent. In the middle, sur
rounded with young acacias, is the
Pelourinho with the Sphere of D.
Manoel. The tower, which is engaged
at the W. end of the N. aisle, has—a
most unusual thing in Portugal — an
octagonal stone spire of good propor
tions and effect: the Sphere at its
summit shows, it to be the work of D.
Manoel. The W. door is of very fine
flamboyant. Notice in the interior
the octagonal pulpit with the cross of
the Order of Christ, the font, and the
westernmost pier on the N. side. The lower part of the sides of the choir is
lined with azulejos ; above these are
eight paintings on each side, which,
as well as that of the Baptism of our
Lord over the high-altar, are attri
buted to Gran Vasco. However,
though they are not without their
merit, the drawing in parts is too
execrable to be his. Baczynski tells
that, on inquiring of the sacristan by
whom they were, the answer was, "
Vasco, Vasco da Gama, Italianol "
Leaving the church and retracing our
steps to the bridge, which is of good
pointed work with openings at the
side, we get to the S.E. end of the
town, passing the cemetery. Here is
the church of N. S. dos Ohvaes, or N.
S. da Assumpvao : the descent to it is
by 1 9 steps. The tower is detached,
and stands some distance from the
W. end ; it is Romanesque, low, and
massive, and may possibly be referred
to the times of Gualdim Paes. The
choir is apsidal ; the windows of the
apse are filled with stone-work like
that in many Somersetshire towers.
Notice the azulejos which cover the
vaulting of the S. chancel aisle with
very good effect. In the S. aisle of
the nave is a monument to Isabel,
wife of Affonso de Vieira, treasurer
to D. Affonso V.,eral492 = A.D. 1454.
The W. window, a great 12-leaved
marigold, and the very fine FirstPointed W. door deserve attention.
Hence we may visit the cottonmanufactory, shown with the greatest
courtesy by Senhor Loureiro, the pro
prietor of 20 out of 32 shares, of which
it consists. Although, of course, it
cannot compete with the great Eng
lish mills, it is nevertheless interesting
to see how these things are done in
Portugal. The largest in the king
dom is at Lisbon, and is worked by
steam. This, which is turned by
water-power, is the second, and there
is one nearly as large at Visella, near
Porto. It employs 300 hands— 160
women, 140 men — besides 100 hands
outside the mill, in bleaching, &c.
The highest pay is 2s. a day, the low
est, half a testao, 2fd. The rooms
are very well ventilated, and the people
seem healthy and contented. Senhor Loureiro's gardens are prettily laid
out in approximation to the English
fashion. Hence it is worth while to
walk along the Levada, which works
the mill, to the weir at its head, both
for the sake of the view and for the
picturesque effect of the washing and
bleaching carried on in grottos at the
side of the Nabao.
Retracing our steps, and again cross
ing the bridge, we may visit the
chapel of S. Gregorio, an octagonal
building with a fine flamboyant door.
Immediately above this, on the sum
mit of a steep hill, is the pilgrimage
chapel of N. S. da Piedade ; the ascent
to it, which in May 1854 was not
quite finished, is by 255 steps in '24
tiers, the landing-place on each tier
having on each side a semicircular
stone seat : the effect of the whole is
very fine, but under a Portuguese sun
the ascent is rather trying. Halfway
up on the right-hand side is the now
ruined chapel of N. S. Jesus do Monte.
The pilgrimage chapel itself was re
built in lti 13 by Bernardo Ortiz Ochoa,
but has some remains of flamboyant
work. In visiting the curiosities of
Thomar 2 days may very well be
spent.
