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.
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.
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
Gargoyles Representing Monstrous Creatures
Doctor of Art History and researcher specializing in the study of gargoyles.
I am Dolores Herrero Ferrio, and my thesis, “An Approach to the Study of Gargoyles of Gothic Cathedrals in Castilla and León”, is dedicated to the study of these fascinating figures.
If you like gargoyles and art history, you will also enjoy my book, “The Gargoyle and Its Iconography,” a book I have written with great care for those interested in the world of gargoyles.
I have created my own Encyclopedia of Gargoyles, a Gargopedia to share with you, where you will discover all the secrets and wonders of these enigmatic sculptures.
I hope you enjoy this Gargopedia as much as I have enjoyed creating it, and remember that each gargoyle has a story to tell, and here you will discover them all.
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