The Municipality of Soure, in the district of Coimbra, will promote the “Templar Days”, on Sunday, an event that includes some initiatives, to mark the 895th anniversary of the donation of the Castle of Soure to the Templars.

On that day, the Associação Ordem dos Pobres Cavaleiros do Templo de Jerusalem (OPCTJ), the Thomar Honoris Association and the Next Solution Design and Communication Agency join forces with the municipality of Soure to develop a program in the village's Castle.

After the raising of the flag at the Castle, the event features, throughout the day, an exhibition of crafts, historical recreation, fencing and medieval dances, with the participation of local commerce in the promotion of endogenous products, says the City Council de Soure, in a note sent today to the Lusa agency.

The heading “Talking to…”, which will be opened by the mayor of Soure, Mário Jorge Nunes, will feature the participation of a professor and researcher at the Center for Transdisciplinary Research in Culture, Space and Memory (CITCEM), which is also director of the Faculty of Letters of the University of Porto (FLUP), Paula Pinto Costa.

Also participating in the session are CITCEM researcher at FLUP Joana Lencart and anthropologist and writer José Manuel Anes.

In this edition, the OPCTJ, the Order of the Templar Museum (MOT) and the municipality of Soure launch the first edition of the book entitled “The Order of the Temple and the Order of Christ in the Work of Pedro Álvares Seco in the 16th Century”, which will be presented by Paula Pinto Costa.

The book is authored by Joana Lencart, edited by Zéfiro, and is the result of her doctoral thesis carried out at the Faculty of Letters of the University of Porto and brings together “credible and rigorous historical information resulting from her dedication to medieval studies”, namely to the military orders of the Temple and of Christ.

This research work “contributes, therefore, to broadening the knowledge not only of the reader in general, but also of historians and professionals of tourist information, heritage and culture”, he adds.

The Câmara de Soure signed a protocol of collaboration and adherence to the project “Rota dos Templários Portugal”, during its participation in the Lisbon Tourism Exchange (BTL) 2023.

This project aims to “enhance the territories and communities of Templar heritage, seeking to improve the visitation experience, in order to capture tourist demand”.

“The historical, cultural and military importance that Soure represents for the theme “Templars” is undeniable, which is why the municipality has sought to invest in promoting the territory and the Templar theme, with the promotion of various activities and cultural initiatives, boosting tourism nationally and internationally”, he concludes.