1965 Tomar Portugal Travel Poster, Home of the Knights Templar, The Convent of Christ, travel tourism, holiday vacation, wall art decor

This is a charming golden Portuguese travel poster of the Janela do Capitulo within the The Convent of Christ in Tomar, Portugal. It shows a beautiful Manueline Nave, garnished by profuse sculptural symbolic ornamentations, heraldic and sacred. All of the architectural elements - talon, pinnacles, buttresses, windows, etc - are symbols of the Age of Discovery.
Dimensions: 39 in x 24.5 in (100 cm x 62 cm)
A travel poster printed in Portugal in 1965 by the Portuguese Tourist Board (DGT).
Condition:  some tape marks near the top of the poster (see photos)

The most emblematic case of this formal treatment is seen on the windows of the Manueline vestry, also known as the Capitulum House. Initially there were three but only two remain now: One, to the south, is visible from the Main Cloister where as the remaining one, of the western façade is famously known as the Capitulum Window.
Sided by two gigantic buttresses, or botaréus, this window is ornamented by an exuberant figurative universe, filled with maritime themes - the wood, the ropes, the buoys, etc - the Order insignia - the heraldic cross, the armillary sphere, the kingdom´s coat of arms - and symbolic figures associated to the mystique of the Spiritual Cavalry and to the role the Order of Christ played in the enterprise of the Discoveries.
The Convent of Christ was originally a 12th-century Templar stronghold, when the order was dissolved in the 14th century the Portuguese branch was turned into the Knights of the Order of Christ, that later supported Portugal's maritime discoveries of the 15th century under Henry the Navigator.

The castle became an integral part of the defence system created by the Templars to secure the border of the young Christian Kingdom against the Moors, which at the time occupied the area to approximately the Tagus River. But, following the dissolution of the Templar Order, on 14 March 1319, and following the request of King Denis of Portugal, Pope John XXII instituted the Order of Christ.The seat of the former Knights Templar was converted in 1357 into the seat of this new order.

The famous round church (rotunda) of the castle of Tomar was also built in the second half of the 12th century. The church, like some other templar churches throughout Europe, was modelled after the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, which was believed by the crusaders to be a remnant of the Temple of Solomon. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem may also have served as model.

Because of the age of these posters, there are areas of wear and tear, particularly on the edges. I have done my best to take photos where they are torn or stained. The good news is that when framed, the tears press up well against glass, and edges can be hidden by mats. Any wear picked up from years are part of the vintage charm.

When framed these colourful and detailed posters, with vibrant colours can become a centre piece for any room, to remind us of a simpler time.

These posters are sent as unframed. They will be delivered in a cardboard tube for protection.

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