Today we took the car to make a small pilgrimage to the sanctuary of Fátima. This is an important site in the Catholic faith. In 1917 three young shepherds saw visions of the virgin Mary on several occasions. The local people built a small shrine at the site, which is now part of a much larger complex including two sanctuaries and a large central plaza. The small chapel is just that -- very small! An open-air structure was later built around it to protect it (the original chapel is the tiny white house at the back).
The Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary was built in a very similar style to the Dos Clérigos Church in Porto, with a single tall bell-tower that can be seen throughout the town.
Even on a very rainy day in November, there were many other pilgrims at the sanctuary complex, some even making their way to the sanctuary on their knees despite the rain. Although I was not quite that dedicated, I was grateful for the opportunity to come to Fátima and light a few candles for my loved ones and to be able to see one of the most important Catholic pilgrimage sites in the world.
Today was a day for seeing important historical religious sites. Despite the lingering rainclouds we headed to the nearby town of Tomar to visit the 12th century stronghold of the Knights Templar. As we got closer to town, the Pegões Aqueduct looming over the street was a clue that perhaps we were going in the right direction.
The six-kilometer long structure was designed to bring water to the castle and monastery known as the "Convent of Christ". The Knights Templar were an organization of warrior monks who fought in the Crusades and became a very powerful charitable organization in the middle ages. They built this stronghold and dormitory in the tenth century as a defense against the Moors who controlled southern Portugal at the time.
Walking the length of the ramparts, we could just imagine the walls being covered with soldiers and archers defending the castle (or covered with tourists, in summer). But today we didn't run into a single other soul on the battlements -- we were the lone defenders of the castle walls on this dreary day.
The chapter house where the monks lived has been preserved and you can see inside the monks' cells. The living quarters are attached to one of the most interesting church chapels I've ever seen. It's round (well, octagonal), with an ambulatory aisle circling the central chapel. Gothic sculpture and colorful frescoes cover the walls and ceilings with religous scenes of saints and angels. In the 12th century, knights would enter the church -- on horseback! -- and circle the ambulatory to receive a blessing before heading off on crusade in the Holy Land.
Our final stop today was at a town called Batalha (in Portuguese literally "Battle"). In 1385 this town was the site of a battle between the invading kingdom of Castile and the Portuguese defenders. Because the previous king of Portugal had died without an heir, the Castilians tried to move in and claim the land of Portugal as their own. However, Portuguese forces led by João of Aviz (later King João I) won a decicive victory; newly crowned King João I made a promise to build a great monastery to commemorate the victory. It was built in a completely new and uniquely Portuguese flamboyant gothic style.
This Portuguese gothic style evolved into what is now called "Manueline" style -- decorative stone elements reference nautical themes and seafaring motifs. At first glance, it almost looks like the sides of the building are covered in barnacles because they are so encrusted with sculptural decoration.
It took hundreds of years to build the monastery and church and it still isn't quite finished. In fact, one area of the monastery is called "The Unfinished Chapels" to this day because work on this section of the monument was never completed. The ornately decorated chapels remain open to the sky and the elements. Ironically, the cloudy skies cleared up just as we were getting ready to head back home!
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