The file of Navarra and the ICS inaugurate a exhibition on the military orders in the Kingdom of Navarra.

The file Royal and General of Navarre and the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) of the University of Navarra have inaugurated the exhibition "Templars and Hospitallers in Medieval Navarra", which can be visited until April 6 at the headquarters of file. The sample is the result of a scientific project "The Hospital and the Temple in the Crown of Aragon and the Kingdom of Navarre (XII-XIII)", funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation, and has been curated by the researcher of group Links, creativity and culture of ICS Julia Pavon, and Maria Bonet, professors of Medieval History at the University of Navarra and the Universitat Rovira i Virgili, respectively. The exhibition set-up has been carried out by business Muraria.

The opening ceremony, held this Friday, November 8, was attended by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Government of Navarra, Rebeca Esnaola, Félix Segura Urra, director of the file Real y General de Navarra, and the curators. Representatives of the different entities that have collaborated in the organization and financing of the exhibition, such as the Fuentes Dutor Foundation, the Ramón Areces Foundation, the group Sumelec, the Mencos Foundation, the Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem (Order of Malta) and the City Council of the Cendea de Cizur have also participated.

Councilor Esnaola highlighted the ability of this exhibition to "take us to the medieval Navarre of the late twelfth century, and let us learn more about the history of the military orders, their links with the powers of the time, as well as their economic, social and artistic projection, the members of the orders and their social circle".

The sample can be visited in the Proto-Gothic crypt of the file Real y General de Navarra every day of the week from 10 am to 2 pm and from 5 pm to 8 pm, including weekends and holidays. In addition, a catalog and educational guides have been published and will be made available to schools interested in visiting the exhibition with their student body.

Strong ties

The kingdom of Navarre was home to a priory of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem from the end of the 12th century, with numerous encomiendas and, in addition, two seats of the Knights Templar until their dissolution in 1312 at the behest of the process brought against them by Philip IV the Fair, King of France and Navarre. The exhibition delves into the great variety of links that arose between both orders with the Navarrese territory in the institutional, social, economic, cultural and religious spheres, and the special mark that their long trajectory has had on the history, heritage and society of the kingdom.

The sample is structured in five sections that discover and make visible this little known area of the medieval history of Navarre. The history of the military orders, their links with the powers of the time, their economic, social and artistic projection through the encomiendas, the members of the orders and their social circle, and the spiritual dimension in a strongly religious society.

As a whole, different themes stand out (crusades, encomiendas...) that run through the panels and intertwine some showcases with others. The exhibition shows the artistic heritage linked to these orders in places such as Aberin, Induráin or Cizur Menor, or as in the case of the church and image of the Crucifix of Puente la Reina.

It also pays special attention to the people linked to these organizations, first of all, the kings and popes as promoters and protectors, but also the local nobility and ecclesiastical dignitaries, who favored their extensive patrimonial deployment in the kingdom. The Prior Hospitaller of Navarre, appointed by the Master, was among the principal ecclesiastics of the kingdom, under the protection of the king and with great influence at court. With respect to the rest of the population, it was common for Navarrese men and women to be linked as donados and donadas of these orders, giving themselves to them with their person and goods.

File documents and parts

The exhibition exhibits unique pieces, both documentary and artistic and archaeological. The file Real y General de Navarra provides 32 documents, the file of the Cathedral of Pamplona, 4, the file of the Cathedral of Pamplona, one document, and, in addition, 20 documents from the file National Historical exhibition(institution that preserves the largest collection of documents on the Hospital), a document from the National Library of Malta and another from the file of the Cathedral of Barcelona are exhibited by reproduction.

The documents include papal bulls, letters from the masters of the orders, historical chronicles of the participation of Theobald I and Theobald II in the crusades of the 13th century, royal privileges of Navarrese monarchs, the expenses for the capture of the Templars in 1307, the accounts of the confiscation of their goods and the interrogations they suffered during the process of suppression of the Order of the Temple, the ancient statutes of the Order of the Templars, documents of the donators and donators or the ordinances of the Order of the Templars, the accounts of the confiscation of their goods and the interrogations they suffered during the process of suppression of the Order of the Temple, the ancient statutes of the Order, documents of donated and donated or the ordinances of the Confraternity of the Crucifix of Puente la Reina.

In addition, the Museum of Navarre has loaned a small enameled crucifix of proto-Gothic style and the storeroom of Archaeology of the Government of Navarre several pieces from the encomienda of Bargota (Mañeru), specifically a capital and two archivolts located in the recent archaeological excavations carried out in the old monastery. For its part, the Mencos Foundation has lent a ceremonial habit from 1919 that belonged to the Marquis of the Royal Defense, as well as two medals of the Order of the Hospital, and the Order of Malta itself has lent a religious flag.