Personalities

King Afonso Henriques (c.1109 - 1185)

D. Afonso Henriques, son of D. Henrique of Burgundy and infanta D. Teresa of Leon was born in Coimbra in 1109. D. Teresa becomes the regent of the Portucale county after the premature death of D. Henrique. (...)
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D. Gualdim Pais (1118-1195)

D. Gualdim Pais was born in Amares, in the Braga region. Squire to King Afonso Henriques, he fought alongside him in the fight against the Moors and was later knighted by the king on the Ourique battlefield in 1139. (...)
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King Dinis (1261 - 1325)

The sixth King of Portugal. Son of King Afonso III and D. Beatriz of Castille, born on October 9th, 1261 he died in Santarém on January 7th, 1325. (...)
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King John I (1357 - 1433)

Tenth King of Portugal and the first of the Avis dynasty, with the cognomen O de Boa Memória (The One with Good Memory), King John I was born on April 11th , 1357. (...)
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D. Lopo Dias de Sousa (1359 – 1417)

D. Lopo Dias de Sousa, seventh and last religious Master, Canon of the Order of Christ, began his mastery in 1373 which lasted until he passed away. (...)
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King Duarte (1391-1438)

Eleventh king of Portugal, son of King John I and D. Filipa of Lancaster, is born in Viseu on October 31st, 1391. He reigned for five years - a short but outstanding period. (...)
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Prince D. Henrique (Henry, the Navigator) - (1394 - 1460)

Infante D. Henrique, fifth son of King John I and D. Filipa of Lancaster, is born on March 4th, 1394 in Oporto. At the age of 14, his father donates to him a house with full serventry and rent. In 1415, he is knighted in the battle for the conquest of Ceu (...)
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King John II (1455 - 1495)

Son of King Afonso V, he became King in 1481. Since 1474, he was involved in the expansion policy of the Kingdom - with incredible vision even though he had not reached 20 years of age yet. (...)
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King Manuel I (1469 - 1521)

D. Manuel, Duke of Beja and grandson-nephew of Infante D. Henrique, received the Mastery dignity of the Order of Christ around 1485, after the passing of his brother, D. Diogo, Duke of Viseu, Governor and Keeper of that chivalry order. (...)
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Diogo de Arruda (14?? - 1531)

The New Court of the Évora Monte Castle is the oldest documented work by this Portuguese master architect. Diogo de Arruda is one of the leading figures associated to building the Convent of Christ - he was its master-builder from 1510 to 1513. (...)
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João de Castilho (c. 1470 - 1552)

Born around 1470, did most of his work in Portugal even though his birthplace was Cantabria in Spain. (...)
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Jorge Afonso (c. 1475 - 1540)

Portuguese painter appointed in 1508 by King Manuel I as regal painter. In his collection of works, the highlights go to the paintings at the Charola of the Convent of Christ, in Tomar. His workshop was deemed very important in the so-called Manueline cyc (...)
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Olivier de Gand

Flemish woodcarver hired by King Manuel I in the first half of the 16th century. His mission was to enrich the iconographic program of the Templar chapel with wood sculpted images over cormels and canopies, in the frontal arches and in the ambulatory wall (...)
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King John III (1502 - 1557)

Born in Lisbon on June 6th, 1502. Son of King Manuel and D. Maria, daughter of the Spanish Catholic Kings. Rose to the throne at the age of 19 after his father´s death in 1521. Married with Catherine of Austria, sister of Charles V, in 1525. (...)
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Diogo de Torralva

Sculptor and architect (1500 ?- 1566), unknown if Piedmont´s or Spanish born. (...)
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Friar Anthony of Lisbon

In the Convent of Christ, the Order´s reform ordered by King John III had as its main figure Friar Antonio Moniz, better known as Brother Anthony of Lisbon. (...)
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Baltazar de Faria ( ? - 1584)

Baltazar de Faria was Commander of the Order of Christ, member of King John III´s council, and later of council to King Sebastian, King Cardinal Henry and King Philip I of Portugal. (...)
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Filipe Terzi (1520 - 1597)

Italian architect and military engineer, said to be a native of Bologna, was working in Lisbon in 1577. (...)
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Philippine Dinasty (1580-1640)

When Portugal lost its independence in 1580, Spanish King Philip II, heir to the Portuguese throne, becomes Master of the Order of Christ as a result of the Order´s master and government hereditary rights that John III had obtained from the papacy to the (...)
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King Philip II of Spain (1527 - 1598)

Born in Valladolid (Spain) on May 21, 1527 and died in San Lorenzo de El Escorial on September 13, 1598 and was the eighteenth King of Portugal. (...)
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King John IV (1604 - 1656)

At the initiative of the Duke D. Jaime (1479-1532), the House of Braganza was authorized by the Portuguese crown and by the Pope to establish 41 commendations of the Order of Christ; (...)
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Domingos Serrão (c. 1570 - 1632)

A 16th century Mannerist painter (c. 1570 - 1632), of Tomar origin. Between 1592 and 1600, he painted two female figures, allegories of Faith and Charity, (...)
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Queen Mary II (1819 - 1853)

Queen Mary II was born in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), on April 4th, 1819, receiving the name of Maria da Gloria Joana Carlota Leopoldina da Cruz Francisca Xavier de Paula Isidora Micaela Gabriela Rafaela Gonzaga. (...)
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Prince Fernando (1819 - 1885)

German Prince, born on 29th October 1819, was baptized with the name of Fernando Augusto Francisco António de Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. (...)
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Costa Cabral (1803 - 1889)

António Bernardo da Costa Cabral (Algodres, May 9th, 1803 - Oporto, September 1st, 1889), 1st Earl and 1st Marquess of Tomar, better known simply as Costa Cabral, was a Portuguese politician who, amongst other duties and functions, (...)
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Artisans and Artists

Herewith, also, some of the artists who collaborated on several occasions in the works or commissions held in the Convent of Christ. Note a few names that signal the foreign origin of several craftsmen. (...)
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