Templar heritage in the Iberian Peninsula

The Knights Templar established themselves in the provinces of Castilla y León, Aragon, Catalonia, Navarre and Portugal.

There they built about a hundred commanderies to provide income to finance the knights’ military activities. The fortified commanderies were mainly present in the Iberian Peninsula, which was under threat from the Saracens.

The castles and fortresses of the Order of the Temple punctuate the landscapes of Spain and Portugal. They were built to protect the borders with the Muslim kingdoms.
As the territories were gradually reconquered to the south (Reconquista), the Templars were given the task of colonising the territories and building commanderies. Some commanderies, such as Granyena in 1131, were even transformed into commanderies.

The Iberian Peninsula has at least 82 strongholds (76 in Spain and 6 in Portugal). This is more than in the East.