Templar Geographies

Portugal is for me a country of cracked and yet brilliant beauty; when you are there, you breathe its decadent and yet amazing grandeur; a lifestyle that is reluctant to emergencies and even to fashionable is perceived; impervious to the most vulgar novelties. The liturgies of haste and appearance there seem to be somewhat deflated.

Portugal is for me a country of cracked and yet brilliant beauty; when you are there, you breathe its decadent and yet amazing grandeur; a lifestyle that is reluctant to emergencies and even to fashionable is perceived; impervious to the most vulgar novelties. The liturgies of haste and appearance there seem to be somewhat deflated.

Nostalgia is the feeling that prevails in me when I walk there, look, talk, listen, ask; a nostalgia that leads me to become absorbed in myself to such an extent that I feel a bit like a poet in incognito. To all this we have to add the special light; a light that seems to come from another time; an oblique light that takes time to disappear; a zenithal light that is a glow of white next to another color that is never the same but varies depending on the area in which you are visiting. Personality is breathed; authenticity is breathed; you breathe the old that accompanies you taking you towards the modern; the voices, the sounds and the smells of other very distant places that are present there are breathed; are breathed visions of other remote times that are present there through their traces that have resisted time. These imaginary geographies and these imaginary times come to life in our thoughts.

…and the ocean…this ocean challenged by the courage of Humanity and her desire for knowledge; this ocean that has taken us to other civilizations, that has made us pay a very expensive price for our inability to remain still; this immense and omnipotent ocean. All this makes any traveler who visit Portugal and with a minimum of sensitivity feel as if they are immersed in true life, with its beats, its noises, its fragrances, its stories, its legacy from the past.

TOMAR, the city of the Templars

A fragment of all this powerful cocktail of sensations can be found in Tomar, the city of the Templars to which I dedicate this article after I was its guest last June, opening their arms to me without fear and allowing themselves to be discovered in all their splendor. To say Tomar, is to say the Convent of Christ, the epicenter of the power of the Templars in Portugal. Then we make a small temporary suspension to talk about the Templars. The order was created in France in 1118 with the purpose (excuse?) of protecting Christians who made pilgrimages to Jerusalem; The Catholic Church officially recognized this order some ten years later, granting them privileges that gradually brought wealth and power to the Templars. In France, this power reached very dangerous heights, so much so that King Felipe IV, with an impressive “police operation” cruelly dismantled the Order and its “warrior monks”… the truth of this cruel act may lie in the fact that royalty seems had contracted some important debts with them…a quick and arrogant way to get rid of a problem…

In Portugal, the Templars were a well-established Order, “rolled up” and protected by the kings of the time, because they had given them an important hand during the “reconquest” against the Muslims. This symbiotic pact between the Portuguese kings and the Templars was further evidenced when Felipe IV and Pope Clement V destroyed (as explained above) the Templar order. In Portugal, to protect the Templars, the Portuguese kings changed the name of the order, calling it “Order of Christ”; and thus, with a simple facelift, they allowed the (ex)-Templars to remain in the territory, also preserving the properties they had received as gifts in exchange for favors: the castle of Soure, the castle of Langroiva, the castle of Cera near Tomar. The order of Christ played a fundamental role in the century of the Portuguese “discoveries”, reaching Latin America and even India circumnavigating Africa. They even obtained an entire territory (Tomar) from the kings where they built, among other things, the castle of Almourol (in a strategic point on the trade routes, profiting from the duties they imposed on traders) and the Convent of Christ. Two centuries after it happened in France, the end came for the Templars in Portugal as well. The authorities greatly limited their powers, turning the order into an exclusively monastic one, thus reaching its total neutralization.

The Convent of Christ

From all this history, an impressive architectural legacy has come down to us that finds its maximum splendor in Tomar, especially in the Convent of Christ.

The convent is located on an elevation that dominates the plain on which the city extends; it is surrounded by a wall belonging to the castle of Tomar and both are World Heritage Sites. It is an immense construction with seven cloisters, a church, two chapels, dormitories for the monks, a hostel for visitors, kitchens, refectories, toilets, warehouses, an oven, a library, an impressive rainwater tank … and above all the Charola! It was the private oratory of the Templars; it has an impressive octagonal plan full of paintings, frescoes and golden sculptures.

Another element of great artistic and architectural interest is the Chapter House and the “janela” that opens in the Santa Barbara cloister and in front of the monks’ dormitories.

Conclusion

A country that has treasures like the ones I just talked about is a country in which the imprint of history and culture has somehow gradually infiltrated the people and is found in the character of its inhabitants. This is a very powerful barrier against any exploiter who wants to offer us a tailor-made future. The loss of historical and cultural memory is unfortunately an issue that we find more and more often in our societies; an absence that in any case people need to fill because it is human nature to want to know “where we come from”… the problem is that in the absence of historical memory, there will always be some smartass or even worse, some malicious person who will think of filling this absence for us by constructing a surrogate past that is of course the best that suits them, to make us think of a future that they design and want for us because it is the future that best suits them…

Photosatriani

I am a curious of life with idealistic tendencies and a fighter. I am a passionate photographer who had to develop a strong degree of resilience to keep my passion against the current of life. I believe that shadows are the necessary contrast to enhance the light. I am a lover of nature, silence and landscapes (rural and urban). My photographic history is quite silent publicly but very rich personally, studded with some great satisfactions such as: published photographer in 1X; honorable mention in Pollux Award 2019; commended in IGPOTY 2019 B&W section; highly commended in IGPOTY 2018 Abstract section; selected in 2014 for Descubrimientos PhotoEspaña and in VIPHOTO. Group exhibitions in: Atlántica Colectivas FotoNoviembre 2015 and 2013; selected for the Popular Participation section GetxoPhoto 2020 and 2015; ”PhotoVernissage (San Petersburgo) 2012; DeARTE 2012 y 2013. A set of my images belongs to the funds of Tecnalia company in Bilbao, to the collection of the "Isla de Tenerife" Photography Center and to the EspacioRAW collection in Madrid. [Website]

More Stories

Street Portrait Photography by Imed Kolli

Street Portrait Photography by Imed Kolli

My images below are views of people who live in the rock bottom’s society. My use of directed reality involvement offers a unique and experimental way of observing miserables people.
Mod UK by Owen Harvey

Mod UK by Owen Harvey

This photographic project is a celebration of the current UK Mod scene. Mod is a subculture that began in the late 50’s and through the years, it has seen many variations to its original style.
Manhattan Visits by Kip Harris

Manhattan Visits by Kip Harris

My visual memory of New York City has always been in black and white. Although some of the best and most colorful paintings ever created are found in its museums, Manhattan is, for me, a place composed from an incredible range of grays.
https://www.dodho.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/bannerpr.jpg

We invite you to participate in the first edition of the Portrait Photography Awards. Our call is open to any artistic interpretation of portrait photography.

https://www.dodho.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/BAnImage.jpg

ImageRights provides intelligent image search and copyright enforcement services to photo agencies and professional photographers worldwide.

https://www.dodho.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/mono2022.jpg

The best 100 images along with the winning images published in the yearly book “Monochromatic – Best Photographers of 2022”

https://www.dodho.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/banner24.jpg

Call For Entries #24 | After 23 editions and more than 100 published photographers, our print edition has proven to be a simply effective promotional channel.

Texas Relics by Steve Knight

Texas Relics by Steve Knight

This definition forms the foundation of the photography series Texas Relics by Steve Knight. The photos attempt to represent his interpretation of this definition through the following criteria: preserved history; a stasis that has resulted in decline; a rejuvenation of things once lost
“Genius Loci” of emptied Europe

“Genius Loci” of emptied Europe

Genius Loci is a Latin expression that indicates the “essence of the place”, its unique and indistinguishable nature. The Genius Loci is the bearer of identity.
architectural photography of Julia Anna Gospodarou

architectural photography of Julia Anna Gospodarou

Architect and International Award-Winning B&W Fine Art Photographer, Julia lives in Athens and has a passion for both architecture and photography, doing them with the same dedication and joy.
Glass Faces by Joanna Borowiec

Glass Faces by Joanna Borowiec

Glass Faces present unique, enchanting, climatic and hypnotising portraits. Bewitching with natural beauty and somewhat unreal, mysterious, silent and oozing various emotions.
Interview with Lys Arango; Published in our printed edition #16

Interview with Lys Arango; Published in our printed edition #16

Time, dedication, and the right rhythm combined with a human approach make the work of Lys Arango one of the most truthful and inspiring photo testimonies of indigenous people.
Marco Lorenzetti : The Mortician’s Grandson Volume III- Reliquiae

Marco Lorenzetti : The Mortician’s Grandson Volume III- Reliquiae

The pictures began with religious objects from my grandparents funeral home. The group grew to include prayer cards given at funerals, postcards, and personal object
Love Junkie by Ana Vallejo

Love Junkie by Ana Vallejo

Growing up with erratic attachment patterns that were both painful and delightful, makes you gravitate towards people equally weird as yourself.
Travel photography; Africa Through my lens by Frederick van Heerden

Travel photography; Africa Through my lens by Frederick van Heerden

Frederick van Heerden Lives in South Africa. He has a passion & love for nature & the wildlife in Africa. He captures the beauty of creation through his lens.
Elements by Katherine Young

Elements by Katherine Young

‘Elements’ is a special project for me bringing together my passion for contemporary architecture and black-and-white photography. The idea behind it was to showcase the ingenuity and multiplicity of contemporary façades.
Cattle Fairs by Nick Gandano

Cattle Fairs by Nick Gandano

Photography puts you in front of the mirror, it shows you who you really are. Through a slow and progressive decanting process, photography allows you to know yourself, to know what kind of person you are.
Kerstin Arnemann : The Power of Lines, Shapes and Light

Kerstin Arnemann : The Power of Lines, Shapes and Light

I have a slight preference for Architecture Photography as well as for “Architectural Street Photography, where I combine two subjects of equal importance.
Yup. History of a deaf girl by Katty Nucera

Yup. History of a deaf girl by Katty Nucera

Valeria lost her ability to hear at age 4. Antibiotics taken for an influence created an allergic reaction by procuring her present deafness. Born in Lecce, he studied until the third time at the Institute "Filippo Smaldone" of the Salesian Sisters of the Sacred Heart, a school specialized for deaf people.
Interview with Andrii Rublevyk

Interview with Andrii Rublevyk

Andrii Rublevyk is a designer and photographer from Mykolaiv, Ukraine. Areas of interest: minimalist landscape, experimental and conceptual art nude.
La boda by Mariagrazia Beruffi

La boda by Mariagrazia Beruffi

Weddings are definitively relevant events among the Spanish families. They represent a sort of “ climax” in everybody’s life because during the celebrations what is normally hidden by the daily routine is suddenlyrevealed and amplified.
SKREI – IL Viaggio by Valentina Tamborra

SKREI – IL Viaggio by Valentina Tamborra

Valentina Tamborra works and lives in Milan. Since the beginning attracted by the concept of borders: “maybe because my origins had to deal with a border, a limit a frontier.
Merhaba Istanbul by Ying Tang

Merhaba Istanbul by Ying Tang

Istanbul is an old city which literally lies on two continents: Asia and Europe. People like to call it the place where East meets West. Istanbul combines the best of traditional and modern life all in one. The call to prayer echoes five times per day in this city that is 99% Islamic.

Featured Stories

David : As cold as clay by Jim Mortram

David : As cold as clay by Jim Mortram

Meeting regularly, David and I, in early 2013 began working upon the first instalment of an ongoing series of stories about his life with blindness. The challenging new day to day routines, learning routes into town with his stick or following behind his mother, Eugene.
New Orleans to Nashville by Benjamin Angel

New Orleans to Nashville by Benjamin Angel

A large part of modern music is born in the cities located between New Orleans and Nashville. New Orleans (Louisiana) is the birth place of jazz music. It is still packed with jazz clubs around the Faubourg Marigny and on the (in)famous Bourbon street.
Being a child in a mundari camp by Elena Molina

Being a child in a mundari camp by Elena Molina

This project was selected and published in our print edition 19. Being a child in a Mundari camp is synonymous with working tirelessly from dawn to dusk. From their earliest age, they actively participate in the care of their livestock
Gotham Visions; Second City by Emmanuelle Becker

Gotham Visions; Second City by Emmanuelle Becker

Gotham Visions / Second City is a portfolio of stylish, unsettling urban landscapes, a collection of dark, brooding night scenes shot in seemingly lifeless cities. Emmanuelle Becker’s imagery is cinematic and particularly influenced by American film noir and German expressionist cinema.
To The Northwest by Giacomo Infantino

To The Northwest by Giacomo Infantino

His research is based on the in-depth narrative of those places in my province, those peripheral sites to which he has devoted his attention and constant attendance.
Protest in Brooklyn; Blessed to breathe by Bill Livingston

Protest in Brooklyn; Blessed to breathe by Bill Livingston

When George Floyd’s life was unnecessarily and brutally snuffed out by Minneapolis law enforcement on May 25, it was yet another final straw…and that straw was set ablaze around the globe.
Self-portrait project : Exposure by Jaqueline Vanek

Self-portrait project : Exposure by Jaqueline Vanek

Self-portrait project focused on the transformation of oneself, against the prejudices of the general society towards freedom of expression and to be who one really is without hiding before anything.
Stories of Russian women; You are mine by Mary Gelman

Stories of Russian women; You are mine by Mary Gelman

«You are mine» is a series of stories of Russian women who endured domestic partner violence.These stories are about power and control of one person over another.
Belief – A Photo Story by Sauvik Acharyya

Belief – A Photo Story by Sauvik Acharyya

A series of pictures taken in North India, explores the myriad ways people worship and the media they use to search for the intangible higher truth or power.Through various rituals, festivals, fire, flowers and even alcohol, India spirituality moves ahead parallel to the nation's modern moorings.
Conceptual photography; In Pain by Ramak Bamzar

Conceptual photography; In Pain by Ramak Bamzar

‘In Pain’ a series, exploring the subject of suffering. Pain is a universal human experience. Defines pain as "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damage."
Still lifes by Belén Argüeso

Still lifes by Belén Argüeso

More or less three years gave me my first camera ...... I'm not a professional photographer ... just a simple fan trying learn and improve every day,. I started taking pictures of my dog, and uploading them to a pet forum
The wonderful world of Scott Stulberg

The wonderful world of Scott Stulberg

Albert Einstein said "Imagination is more important than knowledge", and with that camera, my photographs let my imagination come to life.
Shiny Ghost by Rachel Cox

Shiny Ghost by Rachel Cox

Rachel Cox lives and works in Lansing, Michigan, USA. Prints from Cox’s series have been presented at The Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Houston Center for Photography, David Weinberg Gallery in Chicago, and the Philadelphia Photo Art Center.
The soul of photography by Maria Svarbova

The soul of photography by Maria Svarbova

I am Maria Svarbova also known as Aria Baró. I am 25 years old woman home based on Slovakia. I have graduated archeology this year. My first artistic attempts falls down back to my early child hood what is later in 2010 transforming in to photography dedication entirely.
Collection of portraits; Created Equal by Mark Laita

Collection of portraits; Created Equal by Mark Laita

In America, the chasm between rich and poor is growing, the clash between conservatives and liberals is strengthening, and even good and evil seem more polarized than ever before.
Window Project by Davida Carta

Window Project by Davida Carta

This project was not born as a cohesive body of work. In fact, it surfaced from an editing process during my first semester of residency at the New Hampshire Institute of Art, where I am currently studying to get my MFA in Photography.

Trending Stories

Birds & Plastics by Alice de Kruijs

Birds & Plastics by Alice de Kruijs

This body of work symbolise the artificial world of beauty and plastic fashion standards. The images express the absurd high standard of beauty that the fashion and advertisement world show us.
Michele Palazzo ; Street Photography

Michele Palazzo ; Street Photography

Michele Palazzo. Italian by blood, Architect by training, and Photographer by heart. Visual storyteller, weaving narratives through people’s movements and emotions. He lives and operate in New York.
Void spaces by Kaushik Dolui

Void spaces by Kaushik Dolui

I find the void subjects fascinating and strange, as there is no sense of who they are, but an aspect of them like where they were or what they were doing in the past.
Barn American by Florian Ritter

Barn American by Florian Ritter

Driving a car from Seattle, Washington to Deer Isle, Maine feels like eating a hamburger as a main course and Chinese hot pot for dessert. It was quite an amazing tour one that opened my eyes to how diverse this country could be.
Deep In A Dream – Sheep Meadow by Michael Massaia

Deep In A Dream – Sheep Meadow by Michael Massaia

"Deep In A Dream - Sheep Meadow" is a portfolio that I started in 2006 but ultimately shelved because of my discomfort taking such intimate & vulnerable pictures of people while they were completely unaware.
Astoria, Oregon: The Future was Yesterday by Jay Slupesky

Astoria, Oregon: The Future was Yesterday by Jay Slupesky

I first became interested in the city of Astoria, Oregon after reading an article in the Seattle Times whose title called Astoria “the city where gritty meets pretty.” The gist of the article was that Astoria revels in its history and goes to great lengths to preserve it, and that visitors are welcome to come and explore it.
The aesthetics of plant seeds in motion by Roy Hessing

The aesthetics of plant seeds in motion by Roy Hessing

Roy Hessing is a Dutch photographer, based in Munich. He made a photo series of plant seeds in motion, combining steady light with flash light.
Andalucía by Achilleas Chiras

Andalucía by Achilleas Chiras

These images were shot in Andalucía, that constitutes the biggest part of southern Spain. I narrate a story with color, leaded by the light and the shadows. A story of observation and search on the roads.
Interview with Annick Donkers; Published in our print edition #12

Interview with Annick Donkers; Published in our print edition #12

The motivation for my story was a personal experience I had at the age of 10. I was raised at the Flemish countryside in the province of Antwerp. I remember that one cold December night, I was walking back home from a friends’ house with my mom.
Tribal portraiture by Trevor Cole

Tribal portraiture by Trevor Cole

A series of portraits taken in the Omo valley region of Ethiopia, Afar (Ethiopia) and in Papua New Guinea. In all cases the portraits portray cultural traits and traditions. 
The Last Leaf-An Unfinished Elegy by Debmalya Ray Choudhuri

The Last Leaf-An Unfinished Elegy by Debmalya Ray Choudhuri

How many species of plants are there in the universe? Scientists have predicted to be a number just shy of 400,000 and a large proportion of that number is endangered or are already extinct.
Horizon in Color by Anna Pietroboni

Horizon in Color by Anna Pietroboni

The project "Horizon in Color" is composed of Anna's favorite shots, because they evoke her emotions and memories. The photos are all in color to show the places exactly as they are in reality.

Other Stories

stay in touch
Join our mailing list and we'll keep you up to date with all the latest stories, opportunities, calls and more.
We use Sendinblue as our marketing platform. By Clicking below to submit this form, you acknowledge that the information you provided will be transferred to Sendinblue for processing in accordance with their terms of use
We’d love to
Thank you for subscribing!
Submission
Dodho Magazine accepts submissions from emerging and professional photographers from around the world.
Their projects can be published among the best photographers and be viewed by the best professionals in the industry and thousands of photography enthusiasts. Dodho magazine reserves the right to accept or reject any submitted project. Due to the large number of presentations received daily and the need to treat them with the greatest respect and the time necessary for a correct interpretation our average response time is around 5/10 business days in the case of being accepted.
- Between 10/30 images of your best images, in case your project contains a greater number of images which are part of the same indivisible body of work will also be accepted. You must send the images in jpg format to 1200px and 72dpi and quality 9. (No borders or watermarks)
- A short biography along with your photograph. (It must be written in the third person)
- Title and full text of the project with a minimum length of 300 words. (Texts with lesser number of words will not be accepted)
This is the information you need to start preparing your project for its presentation
To send it, you must compress the folder in .ZIP format and use our Wetransfer channel specially dedicated to the reception of works. Links or projects in PDF format will not be accepted. All presentations are carefully reviewed based on their content and final quality of the project or portfolio. If your work is selected for publication in the online version, it will be communicated to you via email and subsequently it will be published.
Contact
How can we help? Got an idea or something you'd like share? Please use the adjacent form, or contact contact@dodho.com
Thank You. We will contact you as soon as possible.
Submission
Dodho Magazine accepts submissions from emerging and professional photographers from around the world.
Their projects can be published among the best photographers and be viewed by the best professionals in the industry and thousands of photography enthusiasts. Dodho magazine reserves the right to accept or reject any submitted project. Due to the large number of presentations received daily and the need to treat them with the greatest respect and the time necessary for a correct interpretation our average response time is around 5/10 business days in the case of being accepted. This is the information you need to start preparing your project for its presentation.
To send it, you must compress the folder in .ZIP format and use our Wetransfer channel specially dedicated to the reception of works. Links or projects in PDF format will not be accepted. All presentations are carefully reviewed based on their content and final quality of the project or portfolio. If your work is selected for publication in the online version, it will be communicated to you via email and subsequently it will be published.
Get in Touch
How can we help? Got an idea or something you'd like share? Please use the adjacent form, or contact contact@dodho.com
Thank You. We will contact you as soon as possible.