NadiaBoudetandEvaVenancio

ICE, France, SD class

=**Europe's Architectural Treasures**=

By Nadia Boudet and Eva Venancio

Nadia and I agreed to make a little article about some monuments we know in Europe. Nadia chosed to talk about her city Dijon which has an important rule in French history, and I chosed to talk about the monument of Tomar in Portugal that I have visited and which is not very far from the village which all my family is originated from.

Portugal's Treasure :Convento de Tomar
I will talk to you about my original country, where all my family lives and where my parents came from : Portugal. I have both nationalities, I’m French and Portuguese. To talk about Portugal I choose to present to you one important monument in a city not very far where my family is. This monument is the monastery of Tomar called Monasterio do Christo. It is part of the World Heritage of Humanity protected by the UNESCO.

Its story goes from 12th century to 18th century. Its fundation was a castle made by Templars. The Templars order extincted in the 14 century and the Order of the Soldiers of the Christ succeeded to it. The castle was transformed into a monastery in the 15th century and the transformation goes to 18th century when it became a monastery for women. This different succession and a long story left a monument with 5 different architectural styles (Roman style, Templar style, Gothic style, Manueline style, Manierisme style, Baroque style).

Examples of some architectural style : =Templar and Roman styles (12th century) Manueline style ( beginning of 16th century)=



=Gothic style (13th to 15th century) Renaissance style (middle of 16th century)=

Dijon's Treasures : Palace of Burgundy's Dukes and Church Gargoyles
Dijon is the capital of the dukes of Burgundy who reigned over the burgundian states from 1364 to 1477 and it is where I live!

=Palace of Burgundy's Dukes=

Notre-Dame is an impressive 13th century church which shows rows of false gargoyles on its facade. Gargoyls were not only made to decorate churches and to frightened people (or amuse them)! They have an architectural fonction which is to drain water rains down We say “false” because they play no part in the water drainage system. =Notre-Dame church in the background=

= = =**The Gargoyls of Notre-Dame Church**=

If we believe Etienne de Bourbon, Notre-Dame gargoyls’ were destroyed in 1240. An anectode reports that an usurer of Dijon who was about to marry, was killed by the fall of one of the gargoyls as he was walking beneath the west facade. As a consequence, the other usurers of the city had the gargoyls destroyed... All of the gargoyls we can see today were placed on the façade only in the end of the 19th century.



You can also see an owl which is sculpted on the outside of the church. Tradition reports that you must rub it with left hand and make a wish for good luck! A custom which exists for over 700 years so that’s why the stone is worn!

=La Chouette=