Gargopedia

Gargoyles of Tomar in Portugal: Gothic Art and Templar Legacy

 

Gargoyles in Tomar: Journey to a Monumental Jewel of Portugal

On one of the fabulous trips in Portugal, we went to Tomar, a lovely city that’s home to one of the most magnificent and beautiful monument sites in our neighbouring country, the Convent of Christ. Its gargoyles are extraordinary and the architecture is superb.

 

Gargoyles from the Convent of Christ of Tomar (Portugal).

 

Brief History of the Convent of Christ

The Castle of the Templars, which dates from 1160 and which was built by order of Gualdim Pais, Provincial Master of the Order of the Knights Templar in Portugal, is the origin of the Convent of Christ. The huge complex includes a church, cloisters, dormitories, refectory, passageways, stairs and the many other rooms that make up this amazing place. Building went on through the 12th century right up to the 18th century and is a varied mix of styles, including Romanesque, Gothic, Manueline, Renaissance and others.

 

 

Gargoyles and Sculptural Decoration of the Convent of Christ

The gargoyles on the outside of the church blend in with the decoration on the walls, creating a fantastic group along with grotesques and other exuberant ornamentation. The orange moss growing on parts of them look like they are part of the decoration, giving the stone breathtakingly beautiful colour and depth, creating a wonderful, magical feeling. Together with the ones on the church, the fabulous and varied iconography of the gargoyles in the cloisters completes the marvellous collection of these creatures in the Convent.

 

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The huge range of styles and types of gargoyles at Tomar is really extraordinary. Sadly, most of them are badly eroded, but some of them are really magnificent, even though you can’t see all the details any more. There are human figures, some with distinguishable features like beards, accentuated eyes with pupils, hair, a cap or a helmet, and so on. You can see men grasping objects of some kind, while others seem to be holding something up to their mouths. There are anthropomorphic figures with human faces, some with claws, others with feet facing backwards (as if dislocated). Plus, animals (pig, dog) and monsters. You can also find gargoyles that look like ghosts as well as others that are more grotesque.

The gargoyles of the Convent of Christ in Tomar form part of Portugal’s rich sculptural heritage, bearing witness to centuries of art and symbolism carved in stone. Below, we present a selection of these remarkable figures, organised by typology. If you have not yet visited Tomar, we warmly encourage you to discover this extraordinary site and its magnificent monumental complex.

 

Gargoyles Representing Real Animals

 

Gargoyles Representing Anthropomorphic Figures

 

Gargoyles Representing Human Figures

 

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Gargoyles Representing Monstrous Creatures

 

Gargoyles from the Convent of Christ of Tomar (Portugal).