Ponte de Ceras

Ponte de Ceras is a small locality in the municipality of Tomar, in the Santarém district. Its name means bridge of wax or bridge of Ceras, with the toponym Ceras possibly deriving from a local personal or place name, though some associate it with Roman origins and the wax or resin trade that may have passed through this crossing point.

The locality marks a traditional crossing of the Nabão river on the approach to Tomar, a point where the medieval Camino and earlier Roman roads would have used a bridge or ford. The Nabão flows through the limestone terrain here, cutting through the plateau in a narrow valley before widening at Tomar.

For pilgrims, Ponte de Ceras is a transitional waypoint between the open Serra de Aire plateau and the descending terrain into the Tomar basin.