The statue of Dom Gualdim Pais, located in the center of Praça da República, honors one of the most important and emblematic figures in the history of the Templars in Portugal. Founder of the city of Tomar, he was born in the region of Braga, in 1118. The squire of D. Afonso Henriques fought alongside the Moors, being ordained knight by the monarch in the battlefield of Ourique in 1139. He then left for Palestine, where he remained for 5 years as a Knight of the Templar. In 1157, he returned to Portugal and was appointed Master of the Order of the Temple in Portugal, a position he held over 40 years. He died in Tomar in 1195 and is buried in the Church of Santa Maria dos Olivais, pantheon of the Temple teachers. - Tourism Tomar