The Convent of Christ in Tomar is the oldest in the Portuguese World Heritage monastic triangle (the other two are Alcobaça and Batalha), founded in the 12th century. It has been built and improved upon for several centuries afterwards; the variety of the styles in its construction came to symbolize the opening up of Portugal to different civilizations.

Unlike the other two, the convent does not sit in the town center, but instead is located high on a hill within the walls of a castle. The surrounding castle and some of the parts of the convent are either in ruins or in a state of a degree of disrepair. In that, it projects the least amount of being cared for among the three. Some people may look at it from the angle of the convent being the most antique and authentic.

The convent complex is vast, with eight cloisters and a number of interior spaces of note. Although all locations are signposted and marked on maps along the way, you can’t help but feel at times that you are lost in this huge maze. Of the cloisters, only a couple might be called truly impressive. One is the tiled Gothic Cemetery Cloister; the other is the “principal” cloister of Dom João III, an elegant Renaissance two-storey structure. The remaining cloisters have notable features here or there and were used for different purposes but are less remarkable from the visual standpoint and exhibit occasional signs of neglect.

There are a couple of gorgeous Manueline examples, such as the main portal (that is seen from the outside before entering the complex) and the chapter house window, one of the major signposted points of interest. Floor-to-ceiling tile decorations can be seen in the Portacarreiros Chapel. The pièce de résistance of the entire complex is the dazzling Romanesque round church.

Tomar can be reached in about an hour and a half from Lisbon by car and is within half an hour from Batalha and less than an hour from Alcobaça. You will need no less than two but more likely three hours to explore the entire convent.