used to have Manueline choir stalls, unfortunately destroyed by invading Napoleonic troops in the early 19th century. Under the high choir there is a room that used to be the sacristy of the church. Its window is the famous Chapter House Window already mentioned. Cloisters The Convent of Christ has a total of eight cloisters, built in the 15th and 16th centuries. Some examples: Claustro da Lavagem (Washing Cloister): Two-storey gothic cloister built around 1433 under Henry the Navigator. The garments of the monks used to be washed in this cloister, hence the name. Claustro do Cemitério (Cloister of the Cemetery): Also built under Henry the Navigator, this gothic cloister was the burial site for the knights and monks of the Order. The elegant twin columns of the arches have beautiful capitals with vegetal motifs, and the walls of the ambulatory are decorated with 16th-century tiles. In a manueline tomb (circa 1523) rests Diogo da Gama, brother of navigator Vasco da Gama. Claustro de Santa Bárbara (Saint Barbara's Cloister): Built in the 16th century. The Chapter House Window and the West façade of the manueline nave of the church are visible from this cloister. Claustro de D. João III (Cloister of John III): Started under King John III of Portugal, was finished during the reign of Philip I of Portugal. The first architect was Diogo de Torralva, who began the work in 1557, to be finished in 1591 by Philip I's architect, the Italian Filippo Terzi. This magnificent, two-storey cloister connects the dormitory of the monks to the church, and is considered one of the most important examples of Mannerist architecture in Portugal. The storeys are connected to each other by four elegant helicoidal stairways, located at each corner of the cloisters. See also History of medieval Arabic and Western European domes References Notes Sources External links Official webpage The Convent of Christ on Google Arts & Culture Virtual tour 12th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Portugal Romanesque architecture in Portugal Gothic architecture in Portugal Manueline architecture Renaissance architecture in Portugal Castles and fortifications of the Knights Templar Convents in Portugal World Heritage Sites in Portugal Buildings and structures in Santarém District Buildings and structures in Tomar Order of Christ (Portugal) National monuments in Santarém District Knights Templar