Religious heraldry

Within religious heraldry, I classify the arms of individuals, offices, dignitaries, institutions, communities, orders, and religious entities, primarily, by tradition, those of the Church.

The arms of the Order of Mercy and those of the Oratorio de San Felipe Neri are examples of religious heraldry.

Being more general, this category encompasses what [Cadenas y Vicent, V. de; 1975; page 59] refers to as «ecclesiastical heraldry».

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Categories: Criterion and Religious.

171^st Pope of the Church, from the year 1181 to the year 1185. «Lucius III», born Ubaldo Allucinoli, was born in Lucca in northwest Italy.

Lozengy Argent and Azure.

Escudo losanjado de plata y azur.

Papal coat of arms interpreted by me with: a semicircular shield shape; a plain Argent field; checky or squares illuminated in Azure and outlined in Sable; and the whole design with a watercolor finish.

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Lozengy, Argent and Azure.

Style keywords: Semi-circular, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Hard metal.

Classification: Interpreted, Religious and Papal States.

Bearer: Lucius III.

180th Pope of the Church, from 1243 to 1254. «Innocentius IV», born Sinibaldo dei Fieschi, was born in Manarola in northwest Italy.

Bendy of six Azure and Argent.

Escudo bandado de seis piezas de azur y plata.

Papal coat of arms interpreted by me with: a semicircular shield shape; a plain Argent field; bands illuminated in Azure and outlined in Sable; and the whole design with a watercolor finish.

Order of tinctures

In the bendy pattern, the tinctures are named starting from the one located at the dexter base of the shield and following an ascending sequence towards the sinister chief, although the most orthodox approach is to have only 2 tinctures, being one color and one metal.

Number of bands

It is said that it is not necessary to specify the number of bands when there are precisely 6, as in this case, and that it should be specified when there are, for example, 4 or 8. I have chosen to specify it for greater clarity of the blazon.

About the bendy pattern and the need to specify or not specify the number of its pieces, [Avilés, J.; 1725a; pages 40 and 41] and [Avilés, J.; 1780a; pages 45 and 46] say that it is «composed of four, six, or eight bends; in such a way that there are as many colors as metals, always specifying the number four and eight bands when blazoning, and not the one composed of six, as it is understood thus, without declaring the number of pieces» and without agreeing with it, and by its wording I believe that he is not entirely in agreement either, he adds «the reason that may exist for not specifying the number of six bends (although the authors do not express it) is that as the bend is one-third of the shield; and having six pieces, or six bends, the resulting number is doubled, as if the three parts were divided, which implies that the shield is filled with three bends; and taking the denomination of the figure infers, that the bendy is of six pieces: which does not happen with this equality in those of four and eight, requiring other proportions and consequently it becomes necessary to specify their number», therefore, note that the bendy of 6 does not follow the proportions of the bend, nor do those of 4 or 8, the only differential property of the one of 6 is being a multiple of 3, being 1/3 the width of the bend.

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Bendy, Six, Azure and Argent.

Style keywords: Semi-circular, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Watercolor.

Classification: Interpreted, Religious and Papal States.

Bearer: Innocent IV.

182^nd Pope of the Church, from 1261 to 1264. «Urbanus IV», born Jacques Pantaleon of Court-Palais, was born in Troyes, France.

Quarterly: 1 and 4 Azure, a fleur de lis Or; 2 and 3 Argent, a rose Gules.

Escudo cuartelado: 1^o y 4^o de azur, una flor de lis de oro; 2^o y 3^o de plata, una rosa de gules.

Coat of arms of Urban IV with: a pointed and rounded shield shape; the field in plain Azure and Argent enamels; the figures outlined in the field, shaded and illuminated in Or and Gules; and with a watercolor finish.

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Blazon keywords: Quarterly, Azure, One, Fleur de lis, Or, Argent, Rose and Gules.

Style keywords: Pointed and rounded, Illuminated, Shaded, Outlined in the field tincture and Watercolor.

Classification: Interpreted, Religious and Papal States.

Bearer: Urban IV.

184^th Pope of the Church, from 1271 to 1276. «Gregorius X», born Teobaldo Visconti, was born in Piacenza and convened the 14^th Ecumenical Council, known as the Second Council of Lyon.

Azure, a chief embattled Or.

Escudo de azur, el jefe almenado de oro.

Papal coat of arms interpreted by me with: a pointed and rounded shield shape; the field in plain Azure; the chief embattled, illuminated in metal Or and outlined in Sable; and the whole with a marbled finish.

My first version of the blazon in English was «Azure, a chief Or, embattled», but Michael McCartney suggested that it was more correct as «Azure, a chief embattled Or».

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Azure, Chief, Or and Embattled.

Style keywords: Pointed and rounded, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Marmoreal.

Classification: Interpreted, Religious and Papal States.

Bearer: Gregory X.

186^th Pope of the Church, only 40 days in 1276. «Hadrianus V», born Ottobuono de Fieschi, was born in Genoa.

Bendy of six Azure and Argent.

Escudo bandado de seis piezas de azur y plata.

Papal coat of arms interpreted by me with: a shield with a rounded arch top; the field in plain tincture of Argent; the bands illuminated in Azure and outlined in Sable; and the whole in an elevated line style.

The blazon in French is «Bandé d'azur et d'argent de six pièces».

The banding is defined in [Avilés, J.; 1725a; page 40] and [Avilés, J.; 1780a; page 45] as the shields and also, the chiefs, fesses, pales, and figures, such as animals, etc., that are «covered and filled with bands in equal number, with as many of metal as of color».

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Bendy, Six, Azure and Argent.

Style keywords: Semi-circular, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Freehand.

Classification: Interpreted, Religious and Papal States.

Bearer: Adrian V.

187^th Pope of the Church, from 1276 to 1277. «Johannes XXI», born Pedro Julião, also known as Pedro Hispano, born in Lisbon, Portugal.

Quarterly: 1 and 4 Argent, three crescents Gules; 2 and 3 Sable, two pallets Or.

Escudo cuartelado: 1^o y 4^o de plata, tres crecientes de gules; 2^o y 3^o de sable, dos palos de oro.

Coat of arms with: a shield with a pointed and rounded top; the field in plain Argent and Sable; the figures outlined in Sable and illuminated in Gules and Or; and the whole in an elevated line style.

John XXI should have actually been John XX, but Cardinal Pedro Julião, upon being elected pope, decided to skip the number XX and called himself John XXI, with the aim of correcting what was believed to be a historical error, which in the end was not so.

This historical error consisted of the belief in the existence of 2 popes named John XIV, as seemed to be deduced from the records of the «Liber Pontificalis». They were therefore referred to as: the 1^st John XIV and the 2^nd John XIV bis.

By skipping the number XX, John XXI believed he was correcting this historical error. But the reality is that there was only one Pope John XIV, the same pope with 2 entries in the «Liber Pontificalis», the 1^st entry during the time of his pontificate in freedom and the 2^nd entry for the time he exercised his pontificate in prison, imprisoned by his enemy, the so-called «antipope» Boniface VII, who, in turn, managed to occupy the papal throne twice, separated by a decade, in 974 and in 984, somewhat like a double «antipope».

Therefore, John XXI, instead of correcting a historical error, made one, and for this reason, there is no Pope John XX in all of history, nor can there ever be one.

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Blazon keywords: Quarterly, Argent, Three, Crescent, Gules, Ordered, Sable, Two, Pale and Or.

Style keywords: Pointed and rounded, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Freehand.

Classification: Interpreted, Religious and Papal States.

Bearer: John XXI.

195^th Pope of the Church, from 1305 to 1314. «Clemens V», born Bertrand de Got, born in Villandraut, in the southwest of France, was the first pope to reside in Avignon in a stable manner.

Or, three fesses Gules.

Escudo de oro, tres fajas de gules.

Papal coat of arms interpreted with: a rounded triangular top; the field in plain Or enamel; the bars illuminated in Gules and outlined in Sable; and with a heavily hammered metal finish.

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Or, Three, Fess and Gules.

Style keywords: Triangular curved, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Hard metal.

Classification: Interpreted, Religious and Papal States.

Bearer: Clement V.

Blazon equivalent to: Fernández de Córdoba y Carrillo, Diego.

197^th Pope of the Church, from 1334 to 1342. «Benedictus XII», born Jacques Fournier, was born in Saverdun, in the south of Occitania.

Argent, a bordure Gules.

Escudo de plata, una bordura de gules.

Papal coat of arms interpreted with: a round-topped shield; the field in plain Argent; the bordure outlined in Sable and illuminated in Gules; and the whole design in raised outline.

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Argent, One, Bordure and Gules.

Style keywords: Semi-circular, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Freehand.

Classification: Interpreted, Religious and Papal States.

Bearer: Benedict XII.

200th Pope of the Church, from 1362 to 1370. «Urbanus V», born Guillaume de Grimoard, was born in Le Pont-de-Montvert, in the Languedoc.

Gules, a chief dancetty of four full points Or.

Escudo de gules, un jefe encajado de cuatro piezas enteras de oro.

Papal coat of arms interpreted with: a round-topped shield; the field in plain Gules; the chief indented, illuminated in metal Or, and outlined in Sable; and the whole design in hammered metal.

[Rietstap, J. B.; 1861] blazons it as Grimoard «de gueules, au chef émanché de quatre pièces d'or».

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Blazon keywords: Gules, Chief, Dancetty, Or, Three and Two.

Style keywords: Semi-circular, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Metal beaten.

Classification: Interpreted, Religious and Papal States.

Bearer: Urban V.

202^nd Pope of the Church, from 1378 to 1389. «Urbanus VI», named Bartolomeo Prignano, born in Itri, near Naples, in the Lazio region.

Or, an eagle displayed Azure.

Escudo de oro, un águila de azur.

Papal coat of arms interpreted with: a pointed mouth; the field in flat tincture of metal Or; the eagle illuminated in Azure, shaded and outlined in the color of the field; and the whole with a rough finish.

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Or, One, Eagle and Azure.

Style keywords: Pointed, Illuminated, Outlined in the field tincture, Shaded and Rough.

Classification: Interpreted, Religious and Papal States.

Bearer: Urban VI.

Papa número 207 de la Iglesia, de 1431 a 1447. «Eugenius IV», de nombre Gabriele Condulmer, nació en Venecia.

Azure, a bend Argent.

Escudo de azur, una banda de plata.

Escudo papal que he interpretado con: la boca apuntada; el campo de tinta plana de azur; la banda iluminada de azur y delineada de sable; y el conjunto acuarelado.

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Azure, One, Bend and Argent.

Style keywords: Pointed, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Watercolor.

Classification: Interpreted, Religious and Papal States.

Bearer: Eugene IV.

225^th Pope of the Church, from 1566 to 1572. «Pius V», named Antonio Michele Ghislieri, was canonized in 1712.

Bendy of six Gules and Or.

Escudo bandado de seis piezas de gules y oro.

Papal coat of arms interpreted with: a rounded mouth; the field in flat tincture of Or; the bands outlined in Sable and illuminated in Gules; and the whole with a rough finish.

I have also seen this coat of arms described as «a shield banded of six pieces of Or and Gules».

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Bendy, Six, Gules and Or.

Style keywords: Semi-circular, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Rough.

Classification: Interpreted, Religious and Papal States.

Bearer: Pius V.

246^th Pope of the Church, from 1730 to 1740. «Clemens XII», named Lorenzo Corsini, born in Florence and rests in St. John Lateran.

Bendy of six Gules and Argent; over all a fess Azure.

Escudo bandado de seis piezas de gules y plata; brochante sobre el todo una faja de azur.

Papal coat of arms interpreted with: a rounded mouth; the field in flat tincture of Argent; the fess and the bands outlined in Sable and illuminated in Gules and Azure; and the whole with a textured finish.

All are ordinaries, including the three bands and the fess, and since the blazon specifies that the fess is overall on the bands, therefore, it is not the Gules bands that are overall on the Azure fess, and they should be painted underneath.

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Bendy, Six, Gules, Argent, Surmounted, Overall (deprecated), One, Fess and Azure.

Style keywords: Semi-circular, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Freehand.

Classification: Interpreted, Religious and Papal States.

Bearer: Clement XII.

247^th Pope of the Church, from 1740 to 1758. «Benedictus XIV», named Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, born in Bologna.

Or, three pallets Gules.

Escudo de oro, tres palos de gules.

Papal coat of arms interpreted with: a rounded mouth; the field in flat tincture of Or; the pales outlined in Sable and illuminated in Gules enamel; and the whole with a raised stroke finish.

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Or, Three, Pale and Gules.

Style keywords: Semi-circular, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Freehand.

Classification: Interpreted, Religious and Papal States.

Bearer: Benedict XIV.

Lozengy Or and Gules. Behind the shield a cross patty Gules.

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Blazon keywords: Lozengy, Or, Gules, Behind the shield, One, Cross patty and Cross couped.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Semi-circular and Freehand.

Classification: Religious, Military, Knights Templar, Interpreted and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Craon, Robert de.

Or, a chief Gules. Behind the shield a cross patty Gules.

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Blazon keywords: Or, Chief, Gules, Behind the shield, One, Cross patty and Cross couped.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Semi-circular, Illuminated and Freehand.

Classification: Religious, Military, Knights Templar, Interpreted and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Tremelay, Bernard de.

Azure, two barbels addorsed Argent. Behind the shield an eight-pointed cross patty Gules.

I have had the honour of writing this article about André de Montbard and its coat of arms within a series of 23 articles about the heraldry of the Grand Masters of the Temple.

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Classification: Religious, Military, Knights Templar, Interpreted, Doctor, Article, Castilian language and Black and white and color illustrations.

Bearer: Montbard, André de.

Barry of four per pale counterchanged Or and Gules.

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Blazon keywords: Barry per pale counterchanged, Four, Or and Gules.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Semi-circular, Tricking, Hatching and Plain tincture.

Classification: Religious, Military, Knights Templar, Interpreted, Coat of arms and Schema.

Bearer: Blanchefort, Bertrand de.

Quarterly: 1 and 4 Argent, a cross patty Gules; 2 and 3 Argent, a cross Azure

Escudo cuartelado: 1^o y 4^o de plata, una cruz patada de gules; 2^o y 3^o de plata, una cruz de azur.

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Blazon keywords: Argent, One, Cross, Azure, Quarterly, Cross patty, Cross couped and Gules.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Semi-circular and Freehand.

Classification: Religious, Military, Knights Templar, Interpreted and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Hérail, Gilbert.

Or, six annulets Gules, 3, 2, and 1.

Escudo de oro, seis anilletes de gules, ordenados 3, 2 y 1.

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Blazon keywords: Or, Six, Annulet, Gules, Ordered, Three, Two and One.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Semi-circular and Hatching.

Classification: Religious, Military, Knights Templar, Interpreted and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Richard, Richard.

Vair.

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Blazon keywords: Vair.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Semi-circular, Plain tincture and Freehand.

Classification: Religious, Military, Knights Templar, Interpreted, Coat of arms and Schema.

Bearer: Vichiers, Renaud de.

Quarterly: 1 and 4 Argent, a cross patty Gules; 2 and 3 Azure, a bend Or

Escudo cuartelado: 1^o y 4^o de plata, una cruz patada de gules; 2^o y 3^o de azur, una banda de oro.

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Blazon keywords: Azure, One, Bend, Or, Quarterly, Argent, Cross patty, Cross couped and Gules.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Semi-circular and Freehand.

Classification: Religious, Military, Knights Templar, Interpreted and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Molay, Jacques de.

Argent, in chief an ecclesiastical cap Sable, in base a heart enflamed gules.

Escudo de plata, en jefe un bonete eclesiástico de sable, en punta un corazón llameante de gules.

Coat of arms designed and emblazoned by me following their ideas and directions, with a semi-circular shape, illuminated, and with a watercolor finishing.

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Blazon keywords: Argent, In chief, One, Ecclesiastical cap, Sable, In base, Heart enflamed, Heart, Enflamed and Gules.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Watercolor and Semi-circular.

Classification: Religious, Created and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Congregación del Oratorio de San Felipe Neri de Alcalá de Henares.

Azure, a chevron Or, between in chief a cross potent cantoned of crosslets, and a lion rampant, and in base a Celtic Trinity knot Argent.

Escudo de azur, un cabrio de oro, acompañado en jefe de una cruz potenzada cantonada de cuatro cruces, y un león rampante, en punta de un nudo celta de la Trinidad, todo de plata.

Coat of arms emblazoned by me with a pointed shape, illuminated, and with a freehand finishing.

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Credits: Ernesto Juan Anaya is the designer of the coat of arms and Antonio Salmerón y Cabañas is the author of the heraldic art.

Blazon keywords: Azure, One, Chevron, Or, Between, In chief, Cross of Jerusalem, Cross couped, Cross potent, Cantoned, Four, Crosslet, Lion, Rampant, In base, Celtic Trinity knot, Knot, Celtic and Trinity.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Pointed and Freehand.

Classification: Religious, Interpreted and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Lucca de Anaya, Nilda Ernestina.

Azure, two lions passant, guardant, winged, each holding in its paws an open book Argent, with the inscription «Pax Tibi Marce Evangelista Meus» Sable distributed on their four pages. Motto: «Evangelium Annutiata».

Escudo de azur, dos leopardos alados, teniendo cada uno en sus garras un libro abierto todo de plata, con la inscripción «Pax Tibi Marce Evangelista Meus» de sable distribuida en sus cuatro páginas. Lema: «Evangelium Annutiata».

Coat of arms designed by me, illuminated with lights and shadows, contoured in Sable, with an ogee outer contour and with a freehand finishing.

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Blazon keywords: Azure, Argent, Sable, Two, One, Four, Leopard, Winged, Grasping, Paw, Open book, Book, Inscribed, Page and Motto.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Ogee and Freehand.

Classification: Religious, Created, Boa and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Eschenlauer, Marc.

Frederick Charles Husenbeth, «Emblems of saints: by which they are distinguished in works of art», with 2 appendices «On the treatment of the Sibyls in art» by William Marsh and «On sacred heraldry» by Edward Lushington Blackburne, 3th edition edited by Augustus Jessopp, printed by A. H. Goose and Co. for the Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society, Norwich, 1882.

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Bibliographical reference of century XIX.

The author is Husenbeth, Frederick Charles.

External resources:

• National Library of Ireland.
• The coat of arms of the Trinity.

Order of Chivalry of Santiago

A cross of Saint James.

Una cruz de Santiago.

Interpretation of the emblem of the order with: its cross outlined in Sable, illuminated in Gules; and a heavily hammered metal finish.

The Royal Council of the Orders of Chivalry of Santiago, Calatrava, Alcantara, and Montesa, in its historical account of the foundation of the Order of Santiago, describes three different points of view:

• The one presented by tradition, which establishes it in 844, after the battle of Clavijo, when fourteen knights led by the Field Master Don Sancho Martínez de Tejada requested permission from Don Ramiro I, king of Asturias between the years 842 and 850, to found it. This traditional view is the one recorded in [Avilés, J.; 1780b; treatise IV, chapter II, page 325] when discussing the origin of the «Military Order of Santiago of the Sword».
• The perspective of historians like Claudio Sánchez Albornoz or Américo Castro, who question the earlier date. Furthermore, [Sánchez Albornoz, C.; 1965; pages 94-136], as cited in [Domínguez García, J.; 2008; pages 69-70], proposes that the actual battle of Clavijo occurred later, in the year 859, and that Ramiro I did not participate, but rather it was a conflict between King Ordoño I and the Moor Muza.
• The view of historians who, based on the statutes of the order found in the Monastery of Uclés, which was the residence of the Master of the Order of Santiago, and the Latin in which they are written, believe that the foundation could indeed date back to the reign of Don Ramiro I.

Emblem

Regarding the emblem of the Order of Chivalry of Santiago, [Avilés, J.; 1780b; treatise IV, chapter II, page 328, plate 25, figure 100] states «the Commandery of this Order was always a red Sword» (gules ~ red), «in the form of a Cross, just as the guards of the ancient Swords that its Knights and Commanders carried on their white Mantles, and today also on the chest in the same manner, hanging from a red ribbon on a gold medal; that is, in a field of Or, a Cross of Gules».

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Blazon keywords: Cross of Saint James, Cross couped and Cross.

Style keywords: Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Soft metal.

Classification: Interpreted, Religious, Military and Emblem.

Bearer: Santiago, Order of.

Order of Chivalry of Calatrava

A cross of Calatrava.

Una cruz de Calatrava.

Interpretation of the emblem of the order with: its cross outlined in Sable, illuminated in Gules; and a heavily beaten metal finish.

The Royal Council of the Orders of Chivalry of Santiago, Calatrava, Alcantara, and Montesa, in its historical review of the foundation of the Order of Calatrava, states that it was founded during the reign of Sancho III of Castile in the 12th century.

After the Templars withdrew from the defense of the town, King Sancho III proposed in Toledo and later confirmed in Almazán, in January 1158, the perpetual donation of the town of Calatrava to Raymond, then Abbot of the Cistercian monastery of Fitero, who, together with the former soldier Diego Velázquez, committed to defending it from attacks by the Almohads. For this mission, they received financial support from the Archbishop of Toledo, Juan, and from Toledo itself, thus managing to form an army of more than 20,000 men.

Emblem

Regarding the emblem of the Order of Chivalry of Calatrava [Avilés, J.; 1780b; treatise IV, chapter IV, page 338, figure 102] it states «the Seal was always a red cross with blue straps, and the Banner originally bore a black Cross; but today they use the red cross florety, bordered with eight circles, placed side by side, and joined at the center, formed by a cord that emerges from the leaves of the flower, which Benedict XIII gave (while recognized in Spain) and which is the Commandery that the Knights of this Order wear on their chest today, or hanging from a red ribbon on a gold medal; that is, on a field of Or a cross of Gules».

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Blazon keywords: Cross of Calatrava, Cross couped and Cross.

Style keywords: Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Soft metal.

Classification: Interpreted, Religious, Military and Emblem.

Bearer: Calatrava, Order of.

Order of Cavalry of Alcantara

A cross of Alcantara.

Una cruz de Alcántara.

Interpretation of the emblem of the order with: its cross outlined in Sable, illuminated in Vert; and a heavily beaten metal finish.

The Royal Council of the Orders of Chivalry of Santiago, Calatrava, Alcantara, and Montesa, in its historical account of the foundation of the Order of Alcantara, states that, according to Alonso de Torres y Tapia, Prior of Alcantara and a 17^th-century chronicler, it was founded in 1156, by Don Suero Fernández Barrientos along with other knights from Salamanca, in Pereiro near the River Coa, under the name of the Order of Saint Julian of Pereiro and during the reign of Ferdinand II of León.

Emblem

Regarding the emblem of the Order of Cavalry of Alcantara, [Avilés, J.; 1780b; treatise IV, chapter V, page 340, figure 102], reusing the same figure 102 as for the Order of Calatrava, says «In the past, the Order of Alcantara displayed on its Standard the Gules Straps of Calatrava», remember that due to the commandery of the city of Alcantara, they had to assume some dependency on that of Calatrava, «next to a Pear tree in Vert on a field of Or, which was the insignia of the Order of Pereiro, due to the conformity with which these two Orders lived; but upon changing their Habit, the Pope» Eugene IV «granted them the green Cross», Vert, «in the manner they wear it today, differing from that of Calatrava only in color».

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Blazon keywords: Cross of Alcantara, Cross couped and Cross.

Style keywords: Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Soft metal.

Classification: Interpreted, Religious, Military and Emblem.

Bearer: Alcantara, Order of.

Order of Chivalry of Saint Mary of Montesa and Saint George of Alfama.

A cross of Montesa.

Una cruz de Montesa.

Interpretation of the emblem of the order with: its cross outlined in Sable, illuminated in Gules; and a highly hammered metal finish.

The Royal Council of the Orders of Chivalry of Santiago, Calatrava, Alcantara, and Montesa, in its historical review of the founding of the Order of Montesa, states that it was created in 1317, at the request of James II, King of Aragon, through a bull issued by Pope John XXII.

Emblem

About the emblem of the Order of Chivalry of Montesa [Avilés, J.; 1780b; treatise IV, chapter VI, page 342, figure 103], it states that «the Ensign of the Knights of Montesa is a plain red Cross», gules, «plain, which they wear on their Capitular Mantles, or hanging from a red ribbon on the chest over a gold oval; that is, on a field of gold a plain cross of gules (different from how the Masters wore it)» and, therefore, it describes the first emblem of the Order of Montesa and not the one they wear now, which is that same plain cross of gules charged on a cross like that of the Order of Calatrava or like that of the Order of Alcantara, but in Sable instead of Gules or Vert.

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Blazon keywords: Cross of Montesa, Cross couped and Cross.

Style keywords: Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Soft metal.

Classification: Interpreted, Religious, Military and Emblem.

Bearer: Montesa, Order of.