Convento de Cristo

It initially belonged to the Order of the Temple and passed, in the reign of King Dinis, to the Order of Christ. It is one of the main monuments of national architecture, where all the aesthetic stages, from the 12th to the 18th century, are profusely documented. The Cloister of King João III stands out, the main Cloister of the Convent of Christ, considered the most monumental and beautiful work of the Renaissance, carried out by the architect Diogo de Torralva. Also noteworthy are the Cloister of Washings and the Cloister of King Henrique, which date back to the first half of the 15th century, the Cloister of Santa Bárbara, the Cloister of Micha (1528), the Cloister of the Hospedarias consisting of two floors (1541) and finally the Cloister of Crows. Consisting of seven cloisters and other buildings, it contains remarkable works of architecture inside. One of the symbols of greatest cultural interest is the window of the Chapter House, one of the highlights of Manueline art in Portugal. The Convent was considered a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1984.
This work was enhanced by the actions of Infant King Henrique, King Manuel I and D. João III. In the 12th century it was a unique octagonal charola with influences from the Near East, having been adapted to the chancel of the new Manueline building in the 13th century. It should be noted that, until the reign of King João III, masters such as Diogo de Arruda, João de Castilho, Diogo Torralva and Filipe Terzi intervened in the Convent.