Today, many Americans are looking for the right place to relocate or retire to. And Portugal is a perfect candidate. But where to go?
Lisbon is getting a tad pricey, and Porto is sure to follow. So our suggestion? Tomar. This city of 40,000 people is less than 2 hours from Lisbon. It is monumental and charming. And, a 3 bedroom is easy bought for less than $100,000. The city has a good hospital, is surrounded by parks, is set on a river and is one of the most monumental cities in Portugal. It also has rail service to Lisbon. So much has been written recently about the Knights Templar, but the last chapter in their history was written in Portugal. It’s a tale of adventure, cunning, and exploration. The Templars were a monastic order of knights founded in 1112 A.D. to protect pilgrims along the path to Jerusalem. The Templars came to Portugal in the 12th century at the request of Portugal’s founding king, D. Afonso Henriques.
Readers' Digest magazine took a look on off the beaten path destinations that commonly are not in guidebooks. and they found the wonderful Portuguese city of Tomar.
The criteria was to find under-the-radar adventures and the Templar City of Tomar is recognized as an "appealing town" that few hear about but that once served as home for the Knights Templar.
Built in the 12th century under the rule of the first Portuguese King, Afonso Henriques, the Castle and the Convent of Christ were planned to serve as the religious headquarters for the Knights Templar fighting the Arabs to the south.
In a time Crusades to the Holy Land, the circular church built inside the Convent was meant to evoke Jerusalem's churches. The Templars built a series of castles on the banks of the Tejo River to defend the new nation from the Moors. At Tomar, the order built their headquarters, a fortified monastery that is one of the most important medieval sites in Europe. The original church was patterned on the Church of the Holly Sepulcher in Israel. Its central nave with its soaring heights were almost unheard of at that time. The massive door was so high that, according to legend, the knights attended mass on horseback.
In 1307, Pope Clement V extinguished the order, but the Portuguese king D. Dinis made the secretive order a deal they could not refuse. He created a new religious order, the Order of Christ, and it took over all the lands and castles of the Templars. It also took on their symbols and their power. The Knights of the Order of Christ became, by the 15th Century, enlaced with the royal family. Under the leadership of Infante D. Henrique (Prince Henry), the knights began a new quest as ships with their distinct cross explored the coast of Africa. The Age of Exploration had begun.
With the arrival of Da Gama in India in 1498, the riches of the East flowed into the castle at Tomar. King D. Manuel added a new cloister to the monastery in the uniquely Portuguese Manueline style, rich in symbols of the sea, coral, shell, and twisted rope. The rose of the Templars, as well as their cross, became the symbols of the monarchy.
With a great mystique, this structure remains today one of the most important Portuguese monuments. Among the city's heritage is also the Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Conceição, from the Renaissance the Church of St John the Baptist as well as a 15th century Jewish synagogue.
An open air museum, the city is also famous for its cuisine, the queijadas (a cheesy cake) and the Tabuleiros festival. This event only happens each 4 years in July and fills the city centre colorful parades of decorated tray-hats.
Today, Tomar is a lovely city crowned by a castle that is a relic of the mysterious Templars, full of secret passages, symbolic paintings, and compelling art. The city below is well preserved with a 14th century synagogue and Jewish Museum, a riverfront park with an Arab waterwheel, a main square flanked by a Gothic church and medieval city hall. The Templars built the Gothic Church of Santa Maria do Olival in the 13th as a built as burial ground for the Knights.
US News pointed out that: “Portugal ranks as the 7th safest country in the world, the cost of living in Portugal is among the lowest in Western Europe, on average 30 percent lower than in any other country of the region. A retired couple could live here comfortably but modestly on a budget of as little as $1,500 per month. With a budget of $2,000 per month or more, you could enjoy a fully appointed lifestyle in the heart of the Old World.”
When moving abroad to enjoy retirement it is important to know the cost of living, if it is an area with high or low crime, the weather, real estate, health insurance, if the population speaks English even food. And all these reasons combined make Tomar worthy of a spot on you.