Origin from 1154
The Order of Alcantara was founded in 1166 in the Kingdom of Leon and confirmed by Pope Alexander III in 1177, traditionally counseled by the hermit St Julian de Pereiro of Salamanca, though its precise origin is described as obscure. Based at Alcantara, a town in Extremadura on the Tagus River in the contested Christian-Muslim border zone, it was a Catholic military-religious order following Cistercian rule established to defend territorial conquests during the Reconquista, originally requiring celibacy, a requirement removed in 1540. It survives today as a Religious Order of Honour rather than an active military order, with King Felipe VI as Sovereign and Prince Pedro, Duke of Calabria, as Grand Master, admitting members on nobility requirements.
Facts
Classification
Kind of orderChristian Military and Chivalric Orders 3 ApostolateMilitary and Chivalric Service 2 Who may join Belief
Defining Doctrinal PositionCatholic Apostolic Magisterial Authority 2 Practice
Liturgical Language Origins
Origin Period Organisation
OrdinationVowed Religious Profession (not ordained) 2 Connections
Belongs to Tradition
Originated In
Source Order of Alcantara (Wikipedia)
Uses Liturgical Language
Sources
1. Wikidata: Order of Alcantara
Wikidata Q594890, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source 2. Islamic Mysticism: A Short History
Alexander Knysh, Brill
3. Order of Alcántara (Wikipedia)
lead paragraphQuote, lead paragraph
The Order of Alcántara (Leonese: Orde de Alcántara, Spanish: Orden de Alcántara), also called the Knights of St. Julian, is one of the four Spanish military orders. It was originally a milit
Order of Alcantara (Wikipedia)
Originated In: Spain, LeadQuote, Originated In: Spain, Lead
is one of the four Spanish military orders
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