Knights of St. James Banner

Description of the Product

The Order of Santiago is a religious and military order recognized by Pope Alexander III in 1175. It is named after the patron saint of Spain, Santiago, or St. James. The order was set up to protect the pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago, (the Way of St. James), a pilgrimage route in northern Spain which leads to Santiago de Compostela, where the apostle St. James is said to be buried. The pilgrimage route was one of the most important for Christian pilgrims during the Middle Ages, and is still very popular. According to medieval legend the Milky Way was formed from the dust raised by travelling pilgrims on the camino.

The order of Santiago was founded to defend Christendom and to remove the Muslim Moors from the Iberian Peninsula, a process called the Reconquista (re-conquering) which took place over many hundreds of years, culminating in 1492. The military order has been under the jurisdiction of the Spanish crown since the days of the Reyes Catolicos, Catholic monarchs, Isabella and Ferdinand, and still remains so.

The order of Santiago was not as severe as the order of Calatrava, their contemporary, and the knights of St. James worked much like the Hospitallers in aiding pilgrims and providing military service. The mildness of the order (they were for example allowed to marry), as compared to the stricter monastic orders, made the order of Santiago very popular. Since the middle ages admittance to the order has been severely restricted, and is reserved exclusively for those born into Roman-Catholic nobility.

The order's insignia is a red cross which resembles a sword or a dagger, with a fleur-de-lis cross. The sword part harks back to the Crusades, and the fleurs-de-lis are said to represent the moral virtues of St. James. The “pommel” of the cross is a scallop shell, itself also a symbol of St. James and the pilgrims in general. The various color combinations and emblems used in banners as well as in capes and tabards, were a decisive means of distinguishing brothers-in-arms from enemies in the fray.

This banner is made with sturdy white cotton, and the red crosses of St. James are embroidered to the front. The banner has three fabric loops for either hanging it on your heralds trumpet, or simply on a curtain rod or a pole for adding a touch of medieval charm to your home decor.

• Made of sturdy cotton
• The loops are about 10 cm long and 5 cm wide
• Width c. 60 cm
• Height c.140 cm