The Order of Calatrava was founded in the twelfth century at Calatrava la Vieja in Castile, Spain, by the abbot Raymond of Fitero, acting on a proposal from the former knight turned monk Diego Velazquez, to garrison and defend the castle of Calatrava against Muslim forces during the Reconquista. A Catholic military-religious order following Cistercian rule, its members took vows of poverty, celibacy, silence and abstinence while fighting, and it received papal approval from Pope Alexander III on 26 September 1164, the first Spanish military order to gain such recognition. It survives today as a Religious Order of Honour with no military function, numbering about 250 members under King Felipe VI as Grand Master.
Facts
Classification
Kind of orderChristian Military and Chivalric Orders 1 ApostolateMilitary and Chivalric Service 1 Connections
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Order of Calatrava
WikipediaIntroduction, kind of order
The Order of Calatrava (Spanish: Orden de Calatrava) is one of the four Spanish military orders and the first military order founded in Castile, but the second to receive papal approval.
Introduction, apostolate
The Order of Calatrava (Spanish: Orden de Calatrava) is one of the four Spanish military orders and the first military order founded in Castile, but the second to receive papal approval.
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