For the papal order of Knighthood see Order of Christ (papacy)The Supreme Order of Christ is the supreme Order of Chivalry awarded by the Pope. It owes its origins to the same Order of Christ of the Knights Templar from which came the Order of Christ awarded by the Kings of Portugal. Originally the Portuguese order had both a secular and religious component...
Founded in 1318, the
Military Order of Christ (previously
Real Ordem dos Cavaleiros de Nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo) was the heritage of the
Knights TemplarThe Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar or the Order of the Temple , were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
in
PortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
, after the suppression of the Templars in 1312.
Under heavy influence from
Philip IV of FrancePhilip IV , called the Fair , son and successor of Philip III, reigned as King of France from 1285 until his death. He was the husband of Joan I of Navarre, by virtue of which he was King of Navarre and Count of Champagne from 1284 to 1305...
,
Pope Clement VPope Clement V , born Raymond Bertrand de Got , was Pope from 1305 to his death...
had the order annihilated throughout
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
and most of
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
on charges of
heresyHeresy is proposing some unorthodox change to an established system of belief, especially a religion, that conflicts with the previously established opinion of scholars of that belief such as canon. It is sometimes confused with apostasy which is disaffiliation from orthodoxy and blasphemy which is...
, but King
Denis of PortugalDenis, or Diniz , called the Farmer King , was the sixth King of Portugal and the Algarve...
, forced by the Pope who found that the Order's assets should for their nature stay in any given Order instead of being taken by the King, re-instituted the Templars of
TomarTomar Municipality has a total area of 351.0 km² and a total population of 43,007 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of 16 parishes, and is located in Santarém District...
as the Order of Christ, largely for their aid during the
ReconquistaThe Reconquista was a period of 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula succeeded in retaking the Iberian Peninsula from the Muslims...
and in the reconstruction of Portugal after the wars. King Denis negotiated with Pope Clement's successor
John XXIIPope John XXII , born Jacques Duèze , was pope from 1316 to 1334. He was the second Pope of the Avignon Papacy , elected by a conclave in Lyon assembled by Philip V of France...
for the new order's recognition and right to inherit the Templar assets and property.
The precursors of the order – the foundation of Tomar
The Templars were founded around 1118 and soon formed commanderies around
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
to support their efforts in the
Holy LandThe Holy Land , generally refers to the geographical region of the Levant called Land of Canaan or Land of Israel in the Bible, and constitutes the Promised land...
, settling in Portugal in 1128, the first country in Europe where they settled.
Dom
Gualdim PaisDom Gualdim Pais , Portuguese crusader, Templar Friar and Knight of Afonso I of Portugal, was the founder of the city of Tomar....
, provincial Master of the Order of the Temple in Portugal, constructed the Convento de Cristo in 1160. According to folklore he chose the location after drawing lots and receiving a sign to build a new Templar fortress on a hill between the river Fria and St. Gregory's creek. The Convento de Cristo is a testament to the Templars' architectural abilities.
The
octagonIn geometry, an octagon is a polygon that has eight sides. A regular octagon is represented by the Schläfli symbol {8}.-Regular octagons:A regular octagon is always an octagon whose sides are all the same length and whose internal angles are all the same size.The internal angle at each vertex of a...
al church was inspired by the Islamic
Dome of the RockThe Dome of the Rock is an Islamic shrine which houses the Foundation Stone, arguably the holiest spot in Judaism, and is a major landmark located on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. It was completed in 691, making it the oldest extant Islamic building in the world...
shrine in
JerusalemJerusalem is the capital of Israel and its largest city in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if disputed East Jerusalem is included...
, used by the Templars as their base of operations. The Dome of the Rock is located on the
Temple MountThe Temple Mount , also known as Mount Moriah and by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary , is a religious site in the Old City of Jerusalem. Due to its importance for Judaism and Islam it is one of the most contested religious sites in the world.The Temple Mount contains the holiest site in Judaism...
, where the Temple of Jerusalem stood prior to its destruction in 70 AD, and the Templars believed the Dome of the Rock was a remnant of the ancient Temple from which their name derives. The order incorporated features of the shrine into their imagery and architecture, including the
sealsThe Master of the Knights Templar's great seal was double-sided and showed the picture of The Dome of the Rock on one side and the Order's symbol of two knights on one horse on the other side...
of Grand-Masters. The architecture of the
Church of the Holy SepulchreThe Church of the Holy Sepulchre , also called the Church of the Resurrection by Eastern Christians, is a Christian church within the walled Old City of Jerusalem....
may have also served as a model. The sepulchre itself stands in an elaborate structure within the rotunda (rotunda – 35 m diameter), surrounded by a group of three columns between four pairs of square piers columns supporting an ornamented, domed roof. It is possible that the 4th-century rotunda's columns were removed from their original location on the façade of the
Roman templeIn the ancient religion of Roman paganism, practitioners often performed their worship at a temple. Sacrifices would take place at an altar outside the temple, as this meant any mess was easier to clean up, and the ceremony could be attended by many. Roman temples were not large and were basically...
. Renovation of the piers exposed evidence that the columns had originally been much higher and that the Crusaders cut them in half for use in the 12th-century rotunda.
On July 13, 1190, the King of Morocco laid siege to the Templars in Tomar. This test of strength confirmed the Templar's military power and established them as an indispensable presence in the defense of northern Portugal. Pais died in 1195 after ruling 50 years.
Suppression of the Templars – birth of the Order of Christ
After the Templar order's suppression by Pope Clement in 1312, King Denis set about creating a new order for the displaced knights in his realm. He instituted the "Christi Militia" under the patronage of Saint Benedict in 1317 (some sources say August 14, 1318), and
Pope John XXIIPope John XXII , born Jacques Duèze , was pope from 1316 to 1334. He was the second Pope of the Avignon Papacy , elected by a conclave in Lyon assembled by Philip V of France...
approved this order by a
Papal bullA Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a pope. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end to authenticate it....
on March 14, 1319 "
AD EA EX QVIBVIS".
After four years of negotiations,
Pope John XXIIPope John XXII , born Jacques Duèze , was pope from 1316 to 1334. He was the second Pope of the Avignon Papacy , elected by a conclave in Lyon assembled by Philip V of France...
passed another bull authorizing Denis to grant the Templar's property to the Order of the Christ in 1323. The knights of the order were committed to vows of poverty, chastity and obedience to the king. It is unclear how many Templars continued in the new order; some historians would claim the Order of Christ was essentially the Templars under a new name; while others see it as a mostly original formation. The first Grand Master, Dom Gil Martinez, had been a knight of Saint Benedict in the
Order of AvizThe Military Order of Aviz , previously to 1910 Royal Military Order of Aviz , previously to 1789 Order of Saint Benedict of Aviz , previously Knights of St. Benedict of Aviz or Friars of Santa Maria of Évora, is a Portuguese Order of Chivalry...
.
The Order of Christ was first seated at
Castro MarimCastro Marim is a town and a municipality in the southern region of Algarve, in Portugal. The municipality is composed of 4 parishes.The present Mayor is José Fernandes Estevens, elected by the Social Democratic Party.The municipal holiday is June 24....
, in the
AlgarveThe Algarve from the Arabic word meaning "the west" is the southernmost region of mainland Portugal. It has an area of 5,412 square kilometres with approximately 410,000 permanent inhabitants, and incorporates 16 municipalities...
(in the Diocese of Faro). In 1357, the order was moved to the town of
TomarTomar Municipality has a total area of 351.0 km² and a total population of 43,007 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of 16 parishes, and is located in Santarém District...
, near Santarém, former seat of the Order of the Knights Templars in Portugal. (Other sources give the movement date 1366 under the 6th Grand Master, Dom Nuno Rodrigues.)
The Order of Christ under Henry the Navigator
After 1417, by King
John I of PortugalJohn I , called the Good or of Happy Memory, was the tenth King of Portugal and the Algarve and the first to use the title Lord of Ceuta...
's request to the Pope, Prince
Henry the NavigatorHenry the Navigator was an infante of the Kingdom of Portugal and an important figure in the early days of the Portuguese Empire, being responsible for the beginning of the European worldwide explorations.Henry the Navigator was the third child of King John I of Portugal, the founder of the Aviz...
(1417–1460) became the order's Grand Master. Prince Henry the Navigator was born in 1394, the third son of King João of Portugal. During that time, Duarte I and
Afonso VAfonso V , called the African , was the twelfth King of Portugal and the Algarves. His sobriquet refers to his conquests in Northern Africa....
were kings of Portugal. In 1433, King Duarte I gave the Order "Sovereign" status not over these territories which already held, but over any future conquests. Pope Calixtus III in 1455 confirmed that
Afonso VAfonso V , called the African , was the twelfth King of Portugal and the Algarves. His sobriquet refers to his conquests in Northern Africa....
extended his temporal jurisdiction by conceding the royal prerogative over three episcopal nominations in areas ruled by the Order. In 1460, King Afonso V granted the Knights of Christ a 5% levy on all merchandise from the new
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
n lands. Using Order of Christ money, Prince Henry organized the Navigator's school in
SagresThe Sagres Point , is a windswept shelf-like promontory located in southwest Algarve region of southern Portugal. Only 4 km to the west and 3 km to the north lies Cape St. Vincent which is usually taken as the southwesternmost tip of Europe. The vicinity of Sagres Point and Cape St...
, preparing the way for Portuguese supremacy; from this village the first great wave of expeditions of the Period of Discoveries were launched.
After Henry, the grand mastership was held by the royal family. Henry colonised the
AzoresThe Azores is a Portuguese archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, about from Lisbon and about from the east coast of North America. The two westernmost Azorean islands actually lie on the North American plate...
and Madeira Islands – his aim was to go south beyond
Cape BojadorCape Bojador or Cape Boujdour is a headland on the northern coast of Western Sahara, at 26° 07' 37"N, 14° 29' 57"W...
, south of the
Canary IslandsThe Canary Islands are a Spanish archipelago which, in turn, forms one of the Spanish Autonomous Communities and an Outermost Region of the European Union. The archipelago is located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the disputed border between Morocco and the...
. During Prince Henry's rule, two Gothic cloisters were built in the Convent of Tomar. With prince Henry began a new and glamourous period for the Order of Christ. Henry was the duke of
ViseuViseu is both a city and a municipality in the Dão-Lafões subregion of Centro Region, Portugal. The municipality, with an area of 507.1 km², has a population of 100,167 , and the city proper has 47,250...
and also member of the
Knights of the GarterThe Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry, or knighthood, originating in medieval England, and presently bestowed on recipients in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms; it is the pinnacle of the honours system in the United Kingdom...
. Henry's impact on history is great, having arguably sparked the European interest in colonial exploration that would so transform the world for the next four centuries.
The Cross of the Order adorned Portuguese sails in their travels to India, Brazil and Japan.
The Order of Christ after Henry the Navigator's command
Prince Henry was succeeded in the governorship of the Order by Prince Ferdinand, son of King Edward I, who died in 1470.
In 1484, Emmanuel, Duke of Beja, became the XIth Governor of the Order. Due to the fact that the discipline of the order was declining,
Pope Alexander VIPope Alexander VI , born Roderic Llançol, later Roderic de Borja i Borja was Pope from 1492 to 1503. He is one of the most controversial of the Renaissance popes, and his surname became a byword for the debased standards of the papacy of that era...
commuted the vow of celibacy to that of conjugal chastity in 1492; in 1496 the brethren were dispensed from celibacy and in 1505 from poverty, but they still continued their responsions (one third of their revenues) to the Order's treasury. (the condition that they should apply the third part of their revenues to the building and support of the Tomar Cloister) and the priests of which he bound to the whole of the three vows. Also in 1501,
Pope Julius IIPope Julius II , nicknamed Il Papa Terribile , was born Giuliano della Rovere. He was Pope from 1503 to 1513. His reign was marked by an aggressive foreign policy, ambitious building projects, and patronage for the arts.-Early life:There is disagreement about Julius' date of birth...
mitigated the vow of poverty into the payment of a tax - the meia-anata; for the Order of Christ this tax was three-quarters of their annual revenues.
Manuel I of PortugalManuel I , the Fortunate , 14th king of Portugal and the Algarves was the son of Infante Fernando, Duke of Viseu, , by his wife, Infanta Beatriz of Portugal.His mother was the granddaughter of King John I of...
sought and obtained the title of Grand Master by
Pope Leo XPope Leo X was Pope from 1513 to his death. He was the last non-priest to be elected Pope. He is known primarily for the sale of indulgences to reconstruct St. Peter's Basilica and his challenging of Martin Luther's 95 theses. He was the second son of Lorenzo de' Medici, the most famous ruler of...
's Bull
Constante fide (June 30, 1516). King Manuel, João's successor, sent
Vasco da GamaDom Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira was a Portuguese explorer, one of the most successful in the European Age of Discovery and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India...
(a member of the Order of Christ) to sail around the African cape to
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
. He set sail in 1497 and reached Calicut. By the end of king Manuel's reign, the order possessed 454 commanderies in Portugal, Africa and the Indies. Manuel also made extensive additions to the Order's headquarters in Tomar. Manuel ordered that the church of Tomar be expanded westwards, spreading beyond the castle limits and opening up the Charola to add on to it a magnificent nave which housed the choir and the sacristy, becoming known as the chapter house. The order also began its step-by-step transformation from monastic to secular during Manuel's reign. At the end of this process, the order had taken the form of a royal institution.
The son of Manuel did not automatically obtain the succession right for ruling the order, and got an approval by Bull of
Pope Adrian VIPope Adrian VI , born Adriaan Florenszoon Boeyens, served as Bishop of Rome from 9 January 1522 until his death some 18 months later. He was the last non-Italian pope until John Paul II, 456 years later. He is, together with Marcellus II, one of two 'modern' popes to retain his baptismal name after...
: "
EXIMIAE DEVOTIONIS" (April 14, 1523). After thirty years,
John IIIJohn III , nicknamed o Piedoso , was the fifteenth King of Portugal and the Algarves....
obtained "Perpetual Administration" of all the Portuguese Military Orders including the Order of Christ, and of course the Grand Mastership of the Order passed to the Crown by
Pope Julius IIIPope Julius III , born Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte, was Pope from 7 February 1550 to 1555....
's Bull, issued in Rome in 1551. For the government of these orders in the king's name, John III instituted a special council named "Mesa das Ordens".
The Reform of John III and fra Antonius
There are some who say that in 1522 the Order was divided into two branches – one religious under the Pope, and one civil under the king, as they remain today – however, there is lack of evidence regarding this. In 1523,
John IIIJohn III , nicknamed o Piedoso , was the fifteenth King of Portugal and the Algarves....
held a chapter of the order giving brother Antonius of Lisbon the authority and responsibility to reform the Order. The scope of the reform was to bring to the annihilation the religious life among the knights of the order. The new statutes were approved in 1529 by Friars. The Grand Prior was removed from office and all the priests and religious of the Order were required to resume Conventual life at Tomar, and to wear the habit and cross of the Order. Dom António obtained the position of Prior and persuaded pope Pius V to give him the control of all convents of the order in 1567.
The counterreform of Sebastian
King SebastianSebastian I, King of Portugal "the Desired" was the 16th king of Portugal and the Algarves. He was the son of Prince John of Portugal and his wife, Joan of Spain...
tried to reverse the reform of brother Antonius of Lisbon in 1574. When Antonius persuaded the pope Pius V to give him the control of all convents of the order in 1567, King Sebastian protested and obtained confirmation of his post as Grand Master. As a result the religious members of the Order were separated into lay and military membership.
Other reform movements
Between 1580 and 1640 there was another attempt to reform the order. The new statutes were enacted by the general chapter at Tomar 1619 and were promulgated by
Philip IV of SpainPhilip IV was King of Spain between 1621 and 1665, sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands, and King of Portugal until 1640. On the eve of his death in 1665, the Spanish empire reached its territorial zenith spanning almost 3 billion acres...
in 1627. The conditions for admission to the order were noble birth and either two years' service in Africa or three years with the fleet.
The secularization of the Order
Pope Pius VIPope Pius VI , born Count Giovanni Angelo Braschi, Pope from 1775 to 1799, was born at Cesena.-Early years:...
(1789) and Queen Mary I made the last attempt to reform the order. This reform made the convent of Tomar once again the headquarters of the whole order. The sovereign still remained Grand Master, but instead of the conventual prior there was a grand prior of the Order. In 1789 the Portuguese Order lost its religious character, being secularised by Queen Mary. Since 1789, the members consisted (besides the Grand Master and Great Commander) of six Knights of the Grand Cross, four hundred and fifty Commanders, and an unlimited number of Knights. Foreigners were exempt from the rules, but, at the same time, were excluded from the participation in the revenues of the Order. Only Catholics of noble descent could be admitted to the Order. The Order of Christ also survived in Brazil until the end of the Monarchic period in 1889.
In 1834 when the civil government of Portugal became anti-Catholic, after the defeat of
King MiguelMiguel I was the 30th King of Portugal and the Algarves between 1828 and 1834, during the Portuguese civil war.-Early life and...
in the Civil War, under the constitutional monarchy the order lost its properties. The ancient Military Orders were transformed by the liberal constitution and subsequent legislation into mere Orders of Merit. The privileges which once had been an essential part of the membership of the old military orders were also ceased.
In 1910, when Portuguese
monarchy endedThe revolution of 1910 was a republican coup d'état that occurred in Portugal on 5 October 1910, which deposed King Manuel II and established the Portuguese First Republic....
, the Republic of Portugal abolished all the Orders except the
Order of the Tower and SwordThe Military Order of the Tower and of the Sword, of Valour, Loyalty and Merit is a Portuguese order of knighthood and the pinnacle of the Portuguese honours system, and it was created by King Afonso V in 1459....
. However, in 1917, at the end of the
Great WarWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
, some of these Orders were re-established as mere Orders of Merit to reward outstanding services to the state, the office of Grand Master belonging to the Head of State - the President of the Republic. The Military Order of Christ, together with the other Portuguese Orders of Merit, had its Statutes revised in several occasions, during the First Republic (1910–1926), then in 1962, and again in 1986.
The Military Order of Christ, together with the Military Orders of
AvizThe Military Order of Aviz , previously to 1910 Royal Military Order of Aviz , previously to 1789 Order of Saint Benedict of Aviz , previously Knights of St. Benedict of Aviz or Friars of Santa Maria of Évora, is a Portuguese Order of Chivalry...
and of
St. James of the SwordThe Military Order of Saint James of the Sword is a Portuguese Order of Chivalry.-A brief history:The Order of Saint James began in Castile-León in circa 1171, as an Order of knights for the protection of pilgrims to Compostela in Galicia...
form the group of the "Ancient Military Orders", governed by a Chancellor and a Council of eight members, appointed by the President of the Republic, to assist him as Grand Master in all matters concerning the administration of the Order. The Order, despite its name, can be conferred on civilians and on military, Portuguese and foreigners, for outstanding services to the Republic, in parliament, in the government, in the diplomatic service, in the Courts of Justice, on public authorities or on the Civil Service.
Grades
The Order of Christ, as awarded by the Portuguese government today, comes in five classes:
- Grand Cross (GCC), which wears the badge of the Order on a sash on the right shoulder, and the star of the Order in gold on the left chest;
- Grand Officer (GOC), which wears the badge of the Order on a necklet, and the star of the Order in gold on the left chest;
- Commander (ComC), which wears the badge of the Order on a necklet, and the star of the Order in silver on the left chest;
- Officer (OC), which wears the badge of the Order on a ribbon with rosette
A rosette is a small, circular device that is presented with a medal. The rosettes are primarily for situations where wearing the medal is deemed inappropriate. Rosettes are issued in nations such as France, Italy and Japan...
on the left chest;
- Knight (CavC) or Dame (DamC), which wears the badge of the Order on a plain ribbon on the left chest.
Insignia
- The badge of the Order is a gilt
Gilt may refer to:*Gilding, the application of a thin layer of precious metal*Gilt-edged securities, also known as "gilts", government bonds issued in the United Kingdom for HM Treasury by the UK Debt Management Office...
cross with enamel, similar to the Order's emblem illustrated here, but with a longer lower arm. During the monarchy there were separate badges for civil and military knights: civil knights wore a badge similar to the modern version, but with the Sacred HeartThe Sacred Heart is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus's physical heart as the representation of His divine love for Humanity....
of Christ above it; military knights had a completely different insignia, this being a gilt, white enamelled Maltese Cross with enamelled oval shields (each bearing a design similar to the Coat of arms of PortugalThe Coat of arms of Portugal was officially adopted in 30 June 1911, along with the Republican Flag of Portugal. It is based in the coat of arms used by the Portuguese Kingdom since the Middle Ages.-History and meaning:...
minus the red border) between the arms of the cross, the whole surrounded by a wreath of palm; the central disc was in white enamel, with a miniature of the modern badge in it; the badge was topped by a gilt crown.
- The star of the Order has 22 asymmetrical arms of rays, in gilt for Grand Cross and Grand Officer, and in silver for Commander. The central disc is in white enamel, with a miniature of the modern badge in it. During the monarchy the Sacred Heart of Christ was placed at the top of the star.
- The ribbon of the Order is plain red.
People associated with the Order of Christ
- Vasco da Gama
Dom Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira was a Portuguese explorer, one of the most successful in the European Age of Discovery and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India...
(also to the Order of SantiagoThe Order of Santiago or the Order of Saint James of Compostela was founded in the 12th century, and owes its name to the national patron of Spain, Santiago The Order of Santiago or the Order of Saint James of Compostela was founded in the 12th century, and owes its name to the national patron of...
)
- Henry the Navigator
Henry the Navigator was an infante of the Kingdom of Portugal and an important figure in the early days of the Portuguese Empire, being responsible for the beginning of the European worldwide explorations.Henry the Navigator was the third child of King John I of Portugal, the founder of the Aviz...
- João Gonçalves Zarco
João Gonçalves Zarco was a Portuguese explorer who established settlements and recognition of the Madeira Islands, and was appointed first captain of Funchal by Henry the Navigator....
- Bartolomeu Dias
Bartolomeu Dias , a nobleman of the Portuguese royal household, was a Portuguese explorer who sailed around the southernmost tip of Africa in 1488, the first European known to have done so, although some historians credit Herodotus's account of a Phoenician expedition that achieved the feat under...
- Manuel I
Manuel I , the Fortunate , 14th king of Portugal and the Algarves was the son of Infante Fernando, Duke of Viseu, , by his wife, Infanta Beatriz of Portugal.His mother was the granddaughter of King John I of...
(Gran Master)
- Jácome Ratton
Jácome Ratton was a Franco-Portuguese businessman, who was a leading figure in the mainly foreign group of industrialists in 18th century Portugal...
- Pedro Álvares Cabral
Pedro Álvares Cabral was a Portuguese navigator and explorer. Cabral is generally regarded as the European discoverer of Brazil .-Early life:...
- Tomé de Sousa
Thomé de Sousa was the first governor-general of Brazil from 1549 to 1553, when it was a Portuguese colony. He was a nobleman and soldier born in Rates, Póvoa de Varzim...
- Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan was a maritime navigator and explorer. Ferdinand Magellan was born circa 1480 at Sabrosa, near Vila Real, in the province of Tras-os-Montes, one of the wildest districts of Portugal...
(also to the Order of Santiago)
- All Kings of Portugal; Portugal, Brazil and Algarves and the Emperors of Brazil since the King Manuel I.
Locations associated with the Order of Christ
- Convento de Cristo
- Belém Tower
Belém Tower is a fortified tower located in the Belém district of Lisbon, Portugal.The Belém Tower was built in the early sixteenth century in the Portuguese late-Gothic style, the Manueline, to commemorate Vasco da Gama's expedition...
- Castle of Almourol
The Almourol Castle is situated in the small Almourol island, a rocky island, in the middle of the Tagus river , in Praia do Ribatejo, a parish in Vila Nova de Barquinha, Central Portugal. The castle was a Knights Templar stronghold used during the Reconquista.-The conquest of the Castle:The site...
- Sagres
The Sagres Point , is a windswept shelf-like promontory located in southwest Algarve region of southern Portugal. Only 4 km to the west and 3 km to the north lies Cape St. Vincent which is usually taken as the southwesternmost tip of Europe. The vicinity of Sagres Point and Cape St...
(where Prince Henry founded his school of cosmographyCosmography is the science that maps the general features of the universe; describing both heaven and Earth ....
and navigationNavigation is the process of reading, and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another. It is also the term of art used for the specialized knowledge used by navigators to perform navigation tasks. The word navigate is derived from the Latin "navigare", meaning "to sail"...
)
- São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil and the world's 7th largest metropolitan area. The city is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous Brazilian state. It is also the richest city in Brazil. The name of the city honors Saint Paul. São Paulo exerts strong regional influence in...
city