Tomar

Manueline-style window

Tomar, city and concelho (municipality), central Portugal. It is located on the Nabão River, a tributary of the Zêzere, northeast of Lisbon.

The city contains the 12th-century castle of the Knights Templar and the convent of the Order of Christ (Ordem de Cristo; founded 1314), which played an important part in the voyages of discovery; these were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983. Other notable architectural examples include a 16th-century church built in the Manueline style (a mixture of Moorish and florid Gothic) by João de Castilho, and the Renaissance Hermitage of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (Nossa Senhora da Conceição; 1579). The ruined palace of Henry the Navigator was restored in the 16th century. Tomar is an agricultural trade centre (olive oil, wine, fruits, and vegetables), and tourism is important. Pop. (2001) city, 15,764; mun., 43,006 (2011 est.) city, 14,900; (2011) mun., 40,677.