Tomar

Tomar stands beside the Nabão River in central Portugal, beneath the fortified religious complex associated with the Knights Templar and their successors. The town's medieval development reflected the role of military orders in defending and organizing territory during the Christian expansion southward. Agriculture, mills, crafts, and market exchange sustained the settlement below the castle. Water and roads connected it with the wider Tagus country.

After the suppression of the Templars, the Portuguese Order of Christ inherited much of their legacy; the complex at Tomar passed to the order in 1344. Later additions combined Gothic, Manueline and Renaissance forms. The convent came to reflect the order's ties to royal patronage and Portugal's overseas expansion, while the town continued to serve its surrounding countryside.