The military orders of the Temple, Saint John and the Holy Sepulchre, founded in Jerusalem during the first crusade (1099), have been present in Spain for centuries, and they have given rise in theirs priories and commanderies to a very rich historic, artistic and documental heritage.
The arrival of the three orders in Spain was almost simultaneous. They were settled in all the different Christian kingdoms, even though their implantation, development and fate were dissimilar. When the Order of the Temple was dissolved in 1312, its heritage mainly went to the Order of Saint John. The same would happen when, in 1489, the Order of the Holy Sepulchre was dissolved and all its properties were integrated into the Order of Saint John, except in the kingdom of Aragon.
Because of all the above mentioned, the main target of this project is the systematic study of that cultural heritage, paying attention to its creation and consolidation from the first foundations, its development, in some cases its disappearance as well, the necessary protection, and, in any case, its knowledge, diffusion and valuation. It is surprising the scarce attention given to the study of the artistic aspects of these orders, as opposed to the existing abundant bibliography concerning the historic side, which will serve to our own research. This research project will give rise to several publications and various papers in congresses and scientific meetings.
The numerous monumental ensembles of these orders still existing today, which chronology goes from, mainly, the 12th to the 18th centuries, are the aim of study for the members of the team applying for this project, besides the rich movable heritage preserved in part “in situ” and in part in other places, such as churches, museums and libraries.
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