The Order of the Collar of Saint Agatha - Part III

Following the much sought after conquest of the island of Minorca, by Alfonso III in the year 1288, a small number of very prominent military men were bestowed with the dignified rank of knight by the King, as a sort of reward for their agreeing to settle in the fortress of Saint Agatha, together with keeping horse and armour, and defending the island whenever called upon to do so.

The King entrusted these men with this assignment as a result of the military prowess which they all displayed during the battles and skirmishes which culminated on the conquest of the Island by the King as his consorts. There is some debate among scholars in this field as to whether this was indeed an Order of Chivalry, or whether it should be better categorized as a military-type confraternity, given its purely military origins and purpose, but nonetheless, the Order was founded by the Royal decree of King Alfonso II, on the 23rd of January, 1289. According to the tradition so aptly documented by the 7th Duke of Carcaci (whose full name was Francesco Paternò Castello e Sammartino) in his book "L'Ordine del Collare", this collection of knights became known throughout the kingdom, and in other kingdoms as well, as "the knights from St. Agatha".

The Protectress and Patron Saint of the Order was, and remains so today, Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr, whose feast day on the 5th of February is celebrated together with that of the Order itself. Saint Agatha's heroic exploits in defence of Christian principles, more than qualify her as an appropriate choice for the Protectress of a Knightly Order. The mantle of the Order, which nowadays is worn only inside of a church, consists of a plain White tunic, with a sanguine-red collar and, on the left breast, a representation of the Aragonese Cross (which is worn in full colours by Knights, but in a completely golden version by the Dames of the order). The tunic is closed using a golden chain, affixed at each end to the golden head of a lion. The usual ranks or categories of membership (which include Justice, Grace, and Profession) are distinguished from each other by the addition of a golden stripe on the collar of the tunic.

The so-called Bars of Aragon, Royal arms of Aragon, Four Bars, Red Bars, Pales of the House of Barcelona or Coat of arms of the Crown of Aragon, which consists of four red pallets on a background of gold, depicts the familiar coat of the Counts of Barcelona and the Kings of Aragon. It differs from the flag in that the latter makes use of fesses. It is one of the oldest known European coats of arms, and it dates back to at least the year 1150, and the Royal seal of Raymond Berengar IV of Barcelona. It is also the main element of the coats of arms of the present-day Spanish Autonomous Communities of Catalonia, the Valencian Community and the Balearic Islands.

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