The Order of Santiago, born in 1170 by order of King Ferdinand II of León, has celebrated in Seville, under the organization of its Commander in Andalusia, Ana de La Peña Fernandez-Garmelo, the investiture of ten new members, as well as the delivery of the Gold Medal of the Institution to the mayor of the city, Antonio Muñoz.
In addition, after the mass in the chapel of the Virgen de los Reyes of the Cathedral, the Order was received in audience at the Archbishop’s Palace by Monsignor José Ángel Saiz Menese, in an act in which the Scapular of the Way was imposed on him from Santiago. As the archbishop writes on his Twitter account: «His mission is to promote the universal values of the path (spirituality, sacrifice, solidarity, hospitality) and the pilgrimage dimension of life. Ultreia et suseia!”
The Order of Santiago was born in 1170 by order of King Ferdinand II of León to defend Cáceres against the Almohads and its mission was to defend the Muslim-Leonese border. They also maintained the hospederías-hospitals for pilgrims, including San Marcos de León and the Reyes Católicos in Santiago, where even today the first ten pilgrims to arrive will have free food. His monastic Rule, inspired by that of Saint Augustine, came from the now-defunct Monastery of Santa María del Loio-Portomarín. At the head of the Order was the Mestre, assisted by a council of 13 commanders.
After various vicissitudes, it was abolished by the first Republic in 1873 and although it was reestablished during the Restoration, it was reduced to an honorary noble institute governed by a Superior Council dependent on the Ministry of War, which in turn was extinguished after the proclamation of the Second Republic in 1931. The Order of Santiago was established as a civil association in the reign of Juan Carlos I with the character of an honorary and religious noble organization and as such it remains in the 21st century. Currently there are two convents in Madrid and Toledo and in the person of some gentlemen.
The Camino de Santiago has been known as such since the mid-11th century. It flourishes during the 11th and 12th centuries. Until its decline in the fourteenth century, pilgrimages to Santiago had an important socioeconomic and humanistic impact, as well as serving as an economic and cultural renewal. From an artistic point of view, the pilgrimages created a unity of style starting from Saint Martin of Tours-France. The hospitals erected along the Camino to help pilgrims form a set of magnificent buildings such as those of León and Santiago.
Today, the Camino is alive. Some do it for religiousness, culture, sport or intimate feeling with oneself. It continues to unite Europe from where the pilgrims come to hit the head before the Saint of the “Croques” and sink their fingers as a focus of culture.
The Order of the Knights of the Camino de Santiago, following these traditions, was born to further unite the different municipalities and towns that make up the Caminos de Santiago, promoting the union of the different towns that unite, enhancing their idiosyncrasy, enogastrotourism resources and heritage.
His habits will be ivory in color and he will be governed by the rules of the orders of Knights of the Middle Ages, adapted to today’s times. The Knights/Dames will have the obligation to complete the Way once in their life, and every Jacobean Year to win the “Jubilee”, participating in the events organized by the Order. These events will be held in Santiago and Melide every week prior to July 25. In this town, by the way, on July 25, 1520, Carlos I of Spain and V of Germany spent the night.
The events to be held will promote gastronomy, goldsmithing, the cultural history of the Camino and those trades that were its socioeconomic movements for many years. The primary purpose of the Order of the Camino de Santiago will be to unite and promote the Camino de Santiago and all the towns and groups that form it, and that throughout the centuries have served to shape what Europe is today.
The act was brilliant and emotional at the investiture with the new gentlemen, among whom were the mayor of Seville Antonio Muñoz Martínez, the Andalusian Defense delegate, Colonel Carlos Echevarría Pérez, the president of the Delegation of the Monarchical Brotherhood of Seville , Juan José Martín López, Francisco Guerrero Diaz who was director of the EUSA University Center, the Consul General of France in Western Andalusia Christopher Sugey, among others.