Who we are

To explain who we are, we must first go back a few centuries, to when the founder of the Order of Saint Raymond of Fitero Back in the year 1158 of the era of Our Lord Jesus Christ, he came to defend the palisade of Calatrava la Vieja once abandoned by the Templars.

"Thus, impelled and driven by divine impulse, he rose as if from a dream, and, terrified, went to Raimundo's room, which was next to his own, and with loud and agitated voices, uncharacteristic of his usual modesty, he awoke saying: 'Holy Father, let us go to war against the Moors.' The old saint, amazed at what he saw, as one who knew the piety, quietness, and discretion of Friar Diego, dismissed him with love and gentleness. He ordered him to return to his room, saying: 'The true war of the monk must be quietness and solitude, doing penance and weeping for his sins and those of the people.'"


And Abbot Raimundo and Friar Diego Velázquez, knights-errant from the pages of legend, presented themselves to the king, asking him for the defense of the fortress of Calatrava, surrendered to the sovereign by the Knights Templar, defenders of the fortress since its conquest by Alfonso VII in 1147, but fearful now, in 1158, before the formidable preparations being made by the

Enemies of the Christian name. The abbot's holiness and the memory of Friar Diego's warrior valor moved them to Sancho III to write the following in Almazán: "I, King Don Sancho, by the grace of God, son of the illustrious Emperor of Spain of blessed memory, by divine inspiration, make a deed of donation and text of this document forever, valid before God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Congregation of Cistercians, you, Don Raimundo, Abbot of Santa María de Fitero, and all your friars, both present and future, of the town called Calatrava, so that you may hold and possess it, free and peaceful, as an inheritance, from now on forever, and defend it from the pagan enemies of the Cross of Christ, with His favor and ours… The letter is dated in Almazán in the year 1158, in the month of January of the year in which the most famous Lord Don Alfonso, Emperor of Spain, died. I, King Don Sancho, sign and confirm with my own seal this letter, which I ordered to be written."

Our Order was born out of a love for history and the historical legacy left to us by the Knights of Calatrava to keep their memory fresh, and to sow with our example pillars as important as the Faith , the Family unit and the unity of the Fatherland Those valiant warrior-monks defined what our nation is today; they fought for values that are denigrated today, and which our Order intends to extend so that they remain alive and our Christian Faith continues on the path of our Lord Jesus Christ.


We are a humble but strong Order in values Our Knights maintain the rules of the Cistercian monks adapted to the 21st century, men and women committed to their country, following the example of our founder, protected by the mantle of our Mother Saint Mary of the Martyrs, a Romanesque carving located in the Parish of Saint James the Apostle of Carrión de Calatrava.


One of our main ideas is to offer worship to Saint Mary of the Martyrs already our founder Saint Raymond of Fitero so that our rich history, our faith, our culture and religion are not forgotten.

Our Order is founded on faith in God and as such we define ourselves Catholics Respecting our Holy Mother Church and being part of it, because we believe in the Christian community, in the Church that each of us makes up and that we try to bring light day by day to this undoubtedly difficult journey, but with faith and hope in Christ.


These purposes also include:


  • Promote the entire Calatrava La Vieja area.
  • To enhance the tourist and cultural appeal of Calatrava.
  • Develop historical reenactment activities within the geographical framework.
  • To promote and intensify the scientific development and dissemination of medieval studies.
  • Dissemination and broadcasting of the story in both audiovisual and written media.



    • The Order of the Guardian Knights has a Master Table that make it up Master , he Chancellor , he Fiscal and 9 more members among the Grand Commander , Commanders , and Gentlemen , with the aim of planning and carrying out days of informative and cultural campaigns about Calatrava and its surroundings.

From this website we encourage you to join this exciting and important project in achieving our main objectives, which we humbly do not waver in our commitment to.

By Master Pedro Carriazo Yébenes