DORNES

Located on a peninsula that penetrates into the Zêzere river,
the village of Dornes displays in broad daylight its 2000 years
of History.
This region was inhabited by the Romans, the builders of the first security tower for the gold extracted from the river waters.
It was exactly on top of these millenary ruins that Gualdim Pais erected the unusual Templar tower of five fronts, in order to defend the land during the Reconquest.
Under the protecting shadow of the medieval watchtower, the mother church (Igreja Matriz) was erected in the 12th Century, although its external appearance shows a 15th Century facade by the hands of D. Gonçalo de Sousa, friend of Henry
the Infant that entrusted these lands belonging to the Order
of Christ. Inside the magnificent tile lining contemplate the set of interesting statues of the 16th Century.

However, in this house of God the honours go to the image of Nossa Senhora do Pranto (Our Weeping Lady) on the main altar.
The most diverse legends are associated to this saint and the worship related to her made Dornes an important centre for
religious pilgrimage from the Middle Ages on. There are still pilgrimages all over the region, like the Círios (torches) that culminate in the great pilgrimage on the 15th of August.
Beyond the historic and monumental interest, Dornes is one of the best preserved and characteristic villages of the Zêzere margins because of its history and locaton on the peninsula and stunning photgraphic.