“We will provide visitors with a wide range of experiences, including the ability to visit the top of the tower, with a 360-degree view of the Dornes peninsula, along with an immersive experience using video mapping, showcasing the Templar Route and some of the stories and legends of Dornes,” Bruno Gomes, the mayor of Ferreira do Zêzere in the Santarém district, told Lusa today.
The renovation work on the pentagonal tower, a “rare example of military architecture built by the Templars” to defend the Tagus line, has been underway since 2023. Archaeological findings have delayed the expected completion date and led to a revision of the initial project after a medieval necropolis, some graves, and coins were discovered outside the tower.
“What I consider most relevant are precisely the findings that appeared near the tower during archaeological surveys, such as a necropolis that we want to preserve, along with artifacts, coins, and threads,” among other materials, “and we want to use the tower to preserve them in a museum space,” said Bruno Gomes.
Archaeological excavations took place inside and outside the tower, a military and defensive structure built of schist and limestone in the early 13th century on the foundation of an ancient Roman tower.
Inside the tower, there are funerary steles of Knights of the Order of the Temple, and “studying these tombstones may reveal more details about the history of the Templars in the region.”
The coins found outside the tower “allowed for more accurate dating” of the burials. Inside, archaeological work also uncovered a paved floor (in schist) at a depth of one meter, which has been excavated to determine chronologies and assess the existence of other preserved archaeological contexts that may contribute to a better understanding of this monument’s history.
The Templar tower of Dornes, “with its pentagonal shape, is a rare example of military architecture from the Christian reconquest,” and has been classified as a Property of Public Interest since 1943.
“The pentagonal tower, unique in itself, with its restoration and integration into the Templar Route, in partnership with the Intermunicipal Community of Médio Tejo, will confer greater importance and further enhance the tourist assets of this region,” the mayor pointed out.
In the “Restoration, conservation, and requalification of the Pentagonal Tower of Dornes and its surroundings” project, carried out by the Dornes Parish, the municipality took charge of applying for financial support and, through a protocol, became the “owner of the work.”
The total investment is estimated at 529,000 euros, including the construction and musealization of the pentagonal tower. Of this amount, 370,000 euros are considered eligible, with 70% financing from Turismo de Portugal. The project is currently undergoing “temporal and financial reprogramming.”
Bruno Gomes expects the tower’s renovation to be completed “by the end of the year,” and “in parallel, an inventory of all existing artifacts is being carried out.” He aims for the tower’s musealization to be finished by 2025.
Ordered to be built by Gualdim Pais, Master of the Order of the Temple, to defend the Tagus line, it was likely constructed on the foundation of an ancient Roman tower. Inside the tower, some Templar funerary steles remain intact. In the 16th century, having lost its military function, it was transformed into a bell tower.
