History. Jesús Ávila Granados collects in a tome the defensive structures of the 12th century associated with the Order of the Temple in Spain, four of which are in the region of Murcia
The Templars were the armed arm of the kings in Spain from the twelfth century. This loyalty earned them to receive donations of castles and land. On the basis of ‘The Templar Castles of Spain’ (Editorial Nazarí, 2022), the writer Jesús Ávila Granados (Granada, 1950) makes an extensive catalog in which he reveals the more than one hundred and fifty fortresses associated with the Order of the Temple. in Spain, four of which are in the Murcia region, notably in Cehegín, Caravaca de la Cruz, Jumilla and Bullas.
Some of these constructions are really Templar; however, others were inherited from the Islamic world and later converted into the hallmarks of the architecture of the Order of the Temple. A book whose creation has great complexity because it is difficult to study some of these castles because of their destruction or neglect over time.
The Poor Knights of Christ, as the Order was initially called, arose in 1118 from their mentor, Bernard of Clairvaux. After nearly two hundred years of activity, it was dissolved by the church in the 14th century, with the death of Jacques Bernard de Molay, the last Grand Master, at the stake. Among his functions were some, such as the custody of prisoners. They also used the abacus to perform mathematical operations for commercial transactions.
One of the Templar castles in the region of Murcia is located in the municipality of Bullas. Only a few vestiges scattered throughout the historic center of the city have survived, which were declared of Cultural Interest in 1997. Around the year 1265, a commander of the Order had to put down a Mudejar revolt; but two decades later, the mayor surrendered the fortress to the Nasrid forces. Then the Templars recaptured the place.
The castle of Caravaca de la Cruz is one of the most symbolic in the region. One of the fortresses (originating from the Almohads) rebuilt after the Christian conquest by the Poor Knights of Christ and later adapted as a sanctuary. The cross of Caravaca is the most representative symbol of this city, a crucifix of Templar origin. According to legend, the cross was placed on the altar in the year 1231 by two angels during a priest’s mass for the ruler Zayd Abu Zayd, who later converted to Christianity.
After two years of Mudejar uprising, due to the violation of the clauses of the Treaty of Alcaraz by Alfonso X, Jaime I of Aragon and the religious knights put an end to the revolution. As a reward, Alfonso X donated Cehegín to the Order of the Temple. A sword with a cross of origin is kept in the city museum.
After the Christian conquest in 1243, Jumilla joined the rest of the Taifa Kingdom of Murcia. Although there is no written information about the relationship between the city and the Templars, it is believed that these warrior monks had great relevance to their population as there was a period of great respect between the three cultures, equitable distribution, social order, etc., that it would not be possible to conceive it without the passage of the temple through these lands.
vila Granados, a journalist and regular contributor to popular magazines, has written more than a hundred books, including essays, historical novels and major encyclopedias. Castles from neighboring provinces of the region also feature in this book, such as Lorcha (Alicante), with “one of the most spectacular fortresses of medieval Spain”, or Almansa (Albacete), transformed after the Andalusian period.
With more than eight hundred castles across Europe, the main ports of the Templars are located in the Iberian Peninsula, France and the Holy Land. Spain stands out in terms of temple fortresses, as it has one hundred and sixty-two, the majority “built in the medieval centuries, as frontier fortresses, from the Christian kingdoms to al-Andalus, or vice versa,” notes. the researcher.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
