The town of Tomar, Portugal, viewed from the Crusader castle of the Convento do Cristo. The main church is visible.
The town of Tomar, Portugal, viewed from the Crusader castle of the Convento do Cristo. The main church, Saint John the Baptist (São João Baptista), is visible in the town square. Tomar is a town in the Ribatejo ("by the river Tagus") region of Portugal. It is located in the district of Santarém The streets and squares of the picturesque centre of Tomar are organised following a chessboard pattern, a rare feature for a medieval city, which later inspired the pattern used for the rebuilding of Lisbon after the Earthquake in 1775. Scattered throughout the town there are many interesting houses with Renaissance, Baroque and Romantic façades. By the river Nabão, near the bridge, there is a park and garden that offer nice views of the city and surroundings. The town has the best preserved medieval synagogue in Portugal, and houses a small museum. There is an important festival every four years, the Festival of the Tabuleiros (trays). The last festival was held in June and July 2011. The Festa dos Tabuleiros is an ancient tradition of the city. It originally begun in a little village of the city, called Carregueiros. The population parades in pairs with the girl carrying a tabuleiro on her head. The tabuleiro is made of 30 bread, either 6 rows of 5 or 5 rows of 6 and its decorated with flowers. At the top of the tabuleiro one can find the crown which normally contains either the white fowl, symbolising the holy spirit, or the esfera armilar, a symbol revaluing the Portuguese maritime expansion.
Size: 4000px × 2671px
Location: Tomar, Portugal
Photo credit: © Derek Gale / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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