Order of Santiago

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Sign of order, 17th century

The Order of Santiago (Galician: Orde de Santiago, Spanish: Orden de Santiago) was founded in the 12th century, and owes its name to the national patron of Galicia and Spain, Santiago (St. James the Greater). Its initial objective was to protect the pilgrim of St. James' Way and to make the Muslims of the Iberian peninsula step back.

After the death of the Grand Master Alfonso de Cárdenas in 1493, the Catholic Monarchs incorporated the Order into the Spanish Crown and the pope Adrian VI forever united the office of grandmaster of Santiago to the crown in 1523.

The first Republic suppressed the Order in 1873 and, although the Restoration was re-established, it was reduced to a nobiliary institute of honorable character ruled by a Superior Council dependent on the Ministry of War, which was also extinguished after the proclamation of the second Republic in 1931.

The Order of Santiago, together with the Calatrava, Alcántara and Montesa, was restored as a civil association with the kingship of Juan Carlos I with the character of a nobiliary, honorable, and religious organization that remains as such.

St. James' Cross[edit]

The Order's insignia is a red cross simulating a sword, with the shape of a Fleur de Lis on the hilt and the arms. The knights wore the cross stamped on the Royal Standard and white cape. The cross of the Royal Standard had a Mediterranean scalp in the center and another one at the end of each arm.

The three Fleurs de Lis represent the "honor without stain", which is in reference to the moral features of the Apostle's character.

The sword represents the chivalrous character of the apostle St. James and his martyr ways, since he was decapitated with a sword. It can also symbolize, in a certain sense, to take the sword in the name of Christ.

It is said that its shape originated in the era of the Crusades, when the knights took with them small crosses with sharpened bottoms to stick them in the ground and carry out their daily devotions.








Internal organization[edit]

Prerequisites for entrance into the Order[edit]

In its beginnings, entrance into the Order was not difficult, but after mid-thirteenth century it became more complicated.

Once the Reconquest was finalized, a candidate who wished to join the Order of Santiago must have proved in his first four last names that he, his parents, and his grandparents were of noble descent by blood and not by privilege, and had never worked in manual or industrial labor.

Many classes of people were permanently disqualified from membership of the order due to their origins or circumstances. They included the following categories and their descendants: Jews, Muslims, heretics, converts to Christianity, or a mixture of these, no matter how far removed. People who had been punished for acts against the Catholic faith, had been an attorney, moneylender, notary public, retail merchant, had worked where they lived or would have lived from their trade, had been dishonoured, had neglected the laws of honor and executed any act not proper for a perfect gentleman, or who lacked means of support. The prospective member then had to live three months in the galleys and reside for a month in the monastery to learn the Rule.

Later the King and the Council of the Orders abolished many of these prerequisites.

The convents[edit]

The Order of Santiago operated convents, both male and female. Aside from the convents for friars of Uclés and San Marcos de Léon, the Order had other convents in Villar de Donas (Léon), Palmella (Portugal), Montánchez (Cáceres), Montalbán (Aragon) and Segura de la Sierra in Jaén.

In 1275 the Order also had six convents for nuns, who called themselves mothers superior. The wives and family of the friars could stay there when they went to war or died. The friars only professed conjugal chastity, but not everlasting, and because of this they could leave the convent and marry. The convents that are mentioned are: Santa Eufemia de Cozuelos (Palencia), founded in 1502; Convento de Sancti Spiritus of Salamanca, given to the Order in 1233; San Vicente de Junqueras (Barcelona), founded in 1212; San Pedro de la Piedra (1260), in Lérida; Santos-o-Velho (1194), in Lisboa and the Destiana (León). The convents of Membrilla (Ciudad Real) and the Mothers Superior of Madrid (1650) came after these dates.

Territorial division[edit]

The Order was divided into several provinces, the most important ones being Castilla and León because of their number of properties and vassals. At the head of each province there was a Military Commander with headquarters in Segura de la Sierra, Castilla and Segura de León, León. The province of León was divided into two parts, Mérida and Llerena; in each of them there were various encomiendas.

The most important internal subdivision of the military orders were called "encomiendas", which were local units directed by a knight commander of military order. The "encomienda" could place the headquarters or residence of the knight commander in a castle or fortress or in a small town and was the administrative or economic center in which the rents of the estate and properties relevant to that "encomienda" were paid and received; it was the habitual residence of the knight commander and some other knight.

Each "encomienda" had to support the knight commander and the other knights living there, and to pay and arm a certain number of spearmen, who had to be properly equipped and take part in military actions they were called to by their Master. All of them formed the armed retinue or army of the Order, which answered to the orders of its Master. The revenue of the Order came from land, pastures, industries, toll and right of way, taxes, and tithe. The revenue was allocated between the respective "encomiendas" and the sleepwalk board[clarification needed] that financed the Master of the Order.

Present day[edit]

Cross of the Order of Santiago.

The Order of Santiago still exists under the Spanish crown. As of 2014 there were 35 knights and 30 novices in the order. Admission to the order is open to applicants of noble ancestry. Until 1653 nobility was checked by looking at only the paternal grandparents' family history. Changes were made so that maternal grandparents are included in verifying noble ancestry. The applicant must be a practicing Catholic, be of legitimate birth including parents and grandparents, and not be descended from non-Christians.[1] Duties added in 1655 included defence of the belief in the Immaculate Conception of Mary.[2]


See also[edit]




External links[edit]