Professor of History of Law and Institutions at the University of Valladolid

“He was a great man of faith. As Miles Christi, he attributed all the merit of his successes to God. He captured and cultivated love for the Virgin Mary. He placed under the Virgin’s protection each and every one of his campaigns and—above all—the cities he won, as is the case of Úbeda, Jaén, Córdoba, and Seville itself. Hence Andalusia is spoken of, to this day, as the ‘Land of Mary Most Holy.’”

Professor of History of Law and Spanish Institutions at the University of Burgos

“When St. Ferdinand found himself at death’s door, he clung to the cross, kissed it several times, and tied a rope around himself, as a symbol of being stripped of everything and his imminent departure for the afterlife.”

PhD in Medieval History from the Complutense University of Madrid

“This is primarily about reconquering a lost kingdom, the kingdom of the Goths, a Christian kingdom, a Catholic kingdom, which a foreign force had occupied. The religious component of the Reconquista stood out from the very beginning. St. Ferdinand's faith was unshakable, and that faith led him to expand Christianity—above all, to expand the teachings of the Church wherever he reigned.”

Emeritus Professor of Medieval History at the University of Seville

“St. Ferdinand considered himself a Miles Christi. His great concern was the defense of a Christian kingdom, the defense of Christianity. He identified the kingdom and Christianity, Hispanic Christianity. His main devotion, above all else, was God. All the religiosity of St. Ferdinand is summed up in one word: God. From God he comes, for God he acts.”

PhD in Medieval History from the University of Cordoba

“Quite recklessly, he crossed from Benavente to Cordoba—which is almost half his kingdom—in the middle of winter, in terrible conditions. He arrived near Cordoba, near Alcolea, approximately in the month of February. He organized what is called ‘the siege,’ and a few months later, Cordoba was finally a Christian city. Ferdinand III ordered that the cross should enter Cordoba before anyone else.”

PhD in Medieval History from the Complutense University of Madrid

“St. Ferdinand is defined by all the sources of his time as a deeply religious man. All the chronicles emphasize two virtues in him, virtues perhaps difficult to reconcile with the exercise of the political power he possessed: humility and chastity. He always attributed the successes he achieved to God, not to his personal merit. He avoided, as much as possible, the luxury of the court and the preeminence that political power gives. He is one of the few medieval kings of whom no extramarital relationship is known.”

Former President of the Association of Faithful of Our Lady of the Kings and St. Ferdinand

“Everything in St. Ferdinand’s life, his justice, his mercy…were not mere human qualities, but rather virtues learned from Jesus Christ. He teaches us that everything we do in life has a purpose, and that this purpose is to seek what is good. And God is the greatest good that exists.”

President of the Brotherhood of Our Lady of Valme, Seville

“The history of the devotion to Our Lady of Valme goes back to the time of the conquest of Seville. While the troops of St. Ferdinand were encamped in the Cerro, given the special difficulty that this battle presented, the King invoked the protection of Our Lady—to whom he was very devoted—with that plea so well-known and so dear to us: "Help me, Lady, to conquer Seville, to bring it back to the Christian Faith." And the holy King promised the Virgin to build for her a chapel or hermitage in that very place, in which he would place a statue that he carried in his military campaigns. He also offered her the first banner under which he defeated the Muslims of Seville.”

Brotherhood of St. Mary of the Eagle, Seville

"The history of the Sanctuary of St. Mary of the Eagle dates back to 1246, when King Ferdinand III of Castile took the town and decided to commend the old mosque to the Virgin, Our Lady."

This is a magnificent 15-inch ivory sculpture from the 13^th century representing the Virgin with the Child Jesus. It is kept in the crypt of the Cathedral of Seville on a small altar. It can be said that this little statue was St. Ferdinand’s battle companion, for it was always with him during his numerous and successful campaigns against the infidels. When he rested, the Holy King kept the statue at the head of his bed; during difficult moments, he spent long hours kneeling at her feet.

Ferdinand III the Saint spread devotion to the Virgin Mary wherever he went. He always carried a statue of Our Lady with him, and invoked her as protector in his battles. Legend has it that the Virgin Mary appeared to him in a dream. The Holy King ordered a carving of the image he had seen to be made and to accompany him in the Reconquista. It was called Our Lady of the Kings.

The chapel of Our Lady of the Antigua, in the Cathedral of Seville, contains a statue that, according to legend, was shown to King Ferdinand III the Saint during the conquest of Seville. Before the Christian army entered the city, an angel led King Ferdinand to the interior of the city's main mosque. The wall turned transparent, and there he could see the statue of Our Lady of the Antigua that had been hidden there for centuries.

The remains of St. Ferdinand are kept in an urn in the Royal Chapel of the Cathedral of Seville, where they are offered to the veneration of the faithful. The urn containing the incorrupt remains of St. Ferdinand is opened to the public four times a year: May 14, the day of the transfer of his body to the urn in 1729; May 30, the date of his death; August 22, at the conclusion of the acts of devotion to Our Lady of the Kings; and November 23, the day of the entry into Seville as the culmination of the Reconquista of Seville in 1248.

The tombs of King Alfonso VIII of Castile and Queen Eleanor of Plantagenet, grandparents of Ferdinand III the Saint, are kept in the choir of the Abbey of Santa Maria la Real de Las Huelgas in Burgos.

The Banner of St. Ferdinand is one of the historical flags of Spain, with which Ferdinand III the Saint took the city of Seville in 1248. It is currently kept in the Cathedral of Seville.

Muslim tapestry preserved in the Abbey of Santa Maria la Real de Las Huelgas in Burgos. It is called the Banner of Las Navas de Tolosa, since it was taken by King Alfonso VIII of Castile from the Almohad leader, Abu Yusuf Ya'qub al-Mansur. Very richly decorated, the upper and lower bands bear phrases of religious significance.

Thirteenth century cross which, according to tradition, was carried by Archbishop Rodrigo Jiménez de la Rada at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa. It is located in the Abbey of Santa Maria la Real de Las Huelgas in Burgos.

Tomb of Queen Berengaria, daughter of Alfonso VIII of Castile, wife of Alfonso IX of León and mother of Ferdinand III the Saint. It is located in the choir of the Abbey of Santa Maria la Real de Las Huelgas in Burgos.

The remains of King Alfonso X the Wise, successor of Ferdinand III the Saint, are kept in the Royal Chapel of the Cathedral of Seville.

In the Monastery of San Salvador de Oña, in the province of Burgos, there was an ancient image of Mary, Most Holy to which the faithful would pray with great devotion and faith. Berenguela went there to ask for the healing of her son, St. Ferdinand, who doctors who lost all hope for his cure. There he was completely healed by the Queen of Heaven.

The Arab fortress of Peña de Martos was considered in the Middle Ages as an invincible place due to the height of its location and the solid wall that defended it, made up of several towers. In 1225, 'Abd al-Mu 'min al-Bayyasi, Almohad chief of Baeza, with the aim of declaring independence from the caliph 'Abd al-Adil, rendered serfdom to Fernando III the Saint, to whom he gave the Peña de Martos and Andújar. In exchange, he asked for the support of the Christian king against the Cordovan caliph.

In 1226, Saint Ferdinand ceded the control of Martos and its terms to Alvar Pérez de Castro. From 1228, Martos became the center of the Encomienda of the Order of Calatrava in the Kingdom of Jaén. The Calatravos strengthened the defenses of the Peña de Martos, built the Torre del Homenaje and endowed the fortress with a chapel, cistern, oven, mill, and wine press.

The Order of Calatrava was one of the most important military orders of the Middle Ages. The Knights of the Order of Calatrava, also known as Knights of Calatrava, fought alongside Saint Ferdinand for the Reconquest of Spain, making the Castle of Calatrava their main site.

The Castle, Convent and Church of Calatrava la Nueva is located to the south of the municipality of Aldea del Rey (Ciudad Real). It acquired great historical relevance after the Battle of Navas de Tolosa, in 1212, thanks to its privileged geographical position. It served as a border castle against the Salvatierra Castle, located a short distance from the site and defended by Muslim troops.

The Berrueco Castle is located between the towns of Torredelcampo and Fuerte del Rey. Its origin is Islamic, built around the twelfth century, although greatly reformed after it was conquered by Ferdinand III the Saint in 1243, at which time its defenses were strengthened with battlements and burglars and the interior space was restructured.

The Castle of Alcaudete was built by the Arabs on the remains of an ancient Roman fortress. Although it was subdued by the Christians for the first time in the year 1085, during the reign of Alfonso VI, there followed almost two centuries in which the castle changed hands until Saint Ferdinand conquered it definitively in 1240. It was handed over by the King to the Military Order of Calatrava, which trained its soldier-monks there. The Military Order of Calatrava destroyed the Islamic fortress and built the castle that we still have today. It built the stables, the refectories, the chapter house, two more cisterns and the Torre del Homenaje, 22 meters high.

From the Cerro de Giribaile, in the province of Jaén, a large strategic, mining and agricultural area was controlled. From the Muslim invasion, in the eighth century, the Arabs built a fortress in Giribaile, taking advantage of defensive elements of an old Roman fortress. From the second half of the 12th century, and in order to prevent the advance of Christian troops over al-Andalus, the Almohads reinforced and created new structures using mud mortar. Despite the measures taken, the defeat of the Muslims at Las Navas de Tolosa, in 1212, meant that Giribaile was conquered by Ferdinand III, in 1227, in which Acet-Aben Mohammed handed over the castle as a sign of serfdom. Later, Alfonso X, entrusted the custody of the Castle of Giribaile to the Calatravan Knights.

In the Burgos area of Huelgas del Rey, an unavoidable stop on the Camino de Santiago, the monastery of Santa María la Real was founded in 1187 by Alfonso VIII and Queen Leonor. It is the main female Cistercian monastery in Spain and head of all those that were implanted in the crown of Castile. Three days before his wedding with Beatriz de Suabia, St. Ferdinand received the Order of Chivalry in the Monastery of Santa María la Real de la Huelgas, in Burgos, preceded by a vigil of arms. It was the custom of the time for noblemen by birth to be knighted following the established ritual. On the eve of the appointed day, Ferdinand kept vigil of arms in the Monastery of Las Huelgas.

At first, after the conquest of the city by Saint Ferdinand III in 1236, Catholic worship was adapted to the space of the old Muslim oratory. From 1236 to 1607, this space was the main chapel of the Cathedral, where the prayer of the canonical hours, the daily conventual Mass and the pontifical ceremonies took place. From 1607 to 1879, when the place was abandoned due to the construction of the transept, it remained as the chapel of Villaviciosa. It was in this place where, after the blessing of the temple by the bishop of Osma and under the skylight of al-Hakam II, the Mass of Dedication of the Cathedral was celebrated on June 29, 1236. King Ferdinand attended Mass in the newly opened Christian temple the following day, June 30.

The birth of Saint Ferdinand took place in the year 1201, in the municipality of Peleas de Arriba. His parents camped in the mountain during a trip from Salamanca to Zamora. Once crowned king, in that place, Saint Ferdinand III founded the Monastery of Santa Maria de Valparaiso, which was in his day one of the largest centers of the Cistercian Order in Spain. After the monastery disappeared, a memorial monument was placed on the site consisting of a small chapel built by the Spanish Army Engineers.

Ferdinand III the Saint took great care of the decorum of the sacred relics of the saints. The Royal Collegiate Basilica of Saint Isidore, in León, housed the remains of Saint Isidore of Seville. The King found it very deteriorated by the passage of time and hastened to rebuild it. This monastery became a place of spiritual retreat for St. Ferdinand, where he spent much time with the Lord, whom he liked to consult on his most intimate matters. St. Ferdinand also had great confidence in the intercession of St. Isidore, so that, before leaving for the conquest of Seville, he knelt before the tomb of the saint and, according to the Bishop of Tuy, said to him with great devotion of heart: "Oh blessed confessor Isidore, who was always a helper and defender of the kings of Spain, help your servant, and your brother; because you know that I love you with all my heart, and I trust in you, and I believe I will be helped by your holy prayers, and I promise to give you your share of those things that I win."

At the end of the 12th century, the caliph Abú Yuqub Yusuf ordered the construction of a great mosque for the Almohad city of Seville. The minaret that would later become the famous Giralda was erected. In the middle of the 13th century, Saint Ferdinand III conquered the city for the Christians. In 1248 the mosque became the church of Santa Maria and cathedral of the city, following a custom that had become common in the processes of reconquest of the great Muslim cities. In this way, in a short period of time, a large place for the celebration of Christian worship and the reestablishment of the episcopal see was achieved without having to invest much effort, use much capital, or use too much manpower in new building constructions at a time when the priority was the social, political and military reorganization. In that temple, Saint Ferdinand ordered the construction of a Royal Chapel in which he was buried a few years later, and in the following centuries both the Giralda and the cathedral underwent several modifications and enlargements. Today, the Cathedral of Seville is the largest Gothic temple in the world. In 1987, UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site, and in 2010 it was declared an Asset of Outstanding Universal Value.

The Royal Alcazar of Seville stands on a fortification that was built over a Roman and later Visigothic settlement. The Arabs had used it since 720 A.D. as their rulers’ residence, as it was located in a strategic area of Seville that guaranteed their security. After the Reconquest of Seville in 1248, the Alcazar was chosen by Ferdinand III the Saint for his lodging, but he did not carry out any work to improve or adapt the place. In this same place, four years later, the holy king gave his soul to the supreme King and Maker. It was May 30, 1252.

His successors maintained the Christian court in the Royal Alcazar completing the architectural complex with new buildings. Therefore, nowadays, the Alcazar of Seville offers a great stylistic variety bringing together elements of Muslim, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Romanesque art as well as some of the best examples of the Mudejar style. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the Royal Alcazar of Seville is the oldest palace in use in Europe.

The Holy Church Cathedral of Toledo, consecrated to the Virgin Mary in her Assumption to Heaven, began to be built in the year 1227, on the foundations of the Visigothic cathedral built by Recaredo in the 6th century, which was used as a mosque during the Muslim domination. Saint Ferdinand III was present at the official ceremony of the blessing and laying of the first stone, carried out by Archbishop Rodrigo Jiménez de Roca. It can be said that it is a unique temple of magnificent dimensions. In fact, it measures 120 m long by 60 m wide, so that only the Cathedral of Seville surpasses it in size in Spain. The Primate Cathedral of Toledo is a spectacular piece of Spanish architecture and art. In it we find the mark of all the predominant artistic styles in the history of Spain. Gothic structure in its construction, plasterwork and Arabic ceilings in the chapter house, baroque influences in its Transparence, neoclassical in the Puerta Llana... and a Holy King as the promoter of its construction.

King Ferdinand III and Bishop Mauricio decided by mutual agreement to build a cathedral according to the new style that was already spreading throughout Europe: Gothic. The first stone was laid on July 20, 1221. Bishop Mauricio brought to Burgos French architects and masters who proposed a construction according to the model of Notre Dame, in Paris, and other cathedrals like Reims or Amiens, achieving for Castille y León the first Gothic cathedral of the Peninsula, which would serve as a model for the following constructions of the Castilian-Leonese kingdom. It should be noted that, in order to build this magnificent temple for the glory of God, Saint Ferdinand had to order the demolition of the previous cathedral, in Romanesque style, where he had celebrated his wedding with Beatriz de Suavia, daughter of Frederick II of Suavia, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Therefore, in the upper cloister of the new cathedral, we find some outstanding polychrome sculptures that evoke the royal wedding, with the gesture of the king giving the ring to his wife. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984.

Although the Castle of Alcalá de Guadaíra stands on ancient human settlements dating back to the Bronze Age, the current building began its construction in the late twelfth century, when the Almohad Caliphate built a small fortress at the western end of the hill, probably used as an army camp of the Mujahiddin army from North Africa. Saint Ferdinand III conquered Alcalá de Guadaíra in 1247, as part of the preparatory operations for the siege of Seville. As narrated in the First General Chronicle, Saint Ferdinand settled in the Castle of Alcalá de Guadaíra while waiting for reinforcements from Castile that would allow him to complete the conquest of Seville. The King personally directed several works of improvement in the defenses of the fortress, which would make Alcalá become part of the Moorish Band, a set of fortifications that served as a border between the Christian kingdoms and the Kingdom of Granada. As was his custom, Saint Ferdinand Christianized the main mosque, consecrating the new church in honor of Holy Mary.

The Tower of Abd el Aziz was built by the Almohads in the mid-twelfth century and was part of the wall that led from the Reales Alcazares to the Torre del Oro, at the foot of the Guadalquivir. As they approached the river, the towers increased the number of sides. The Tower of Abd el Aziz is hexagonal, the Torre de la Plata is octagonal, and the Torre del Oro, dodecagonal. With this extension, the walls of Seville covered a total of 150 hectares. It took the name of the emir Abd al-Aziz ibn Musa who lived in Seville between the years 714 and 719. The tower of Abd el Aziz has a deep meaning since the tradition tells that the banner of Saint Ferdinand was waved in it for the first time after the conquest of the city in the year 1248. This military insignia is currently preserved in the Cathedral, next to the Baptism Chapel.

To speak of the Virgin of Valme we must go back to the year 1248, when King Ferdinand III reconquered Seville. As some authors report, seeing the difficulty of taking the capital of Seville and the dejection of his troops, the Holy King invoked – in the place called Cerro de Cuartos – an image of the Virgin that he carried with him: "Aid me, oh Lady, if you deign to do so. In this place I will build you a chapel, in which at your feet I will deposit as an offering, the banner of the enemies of Spain and our Holy Faith which I conquered!" The tradition adds that, then, he ordered the master of Santiago, Pelay Pérez Correa, to thrust his sword into the ground, and at that moment a spring gushed forth, which took the name of "Fuente del Rey" and which served to quench the thirst of the Christian soldiers. Once Seville was conquered, the monarch fulfilled his promise and built a small chapel in the aforementioned place, where he enthroned the image he had invoked and which received the name of Valme (“Aid Me” in old Castilian) in memory of the monarch's supplication. At her feet he placed the banner taken from the Muslims. The hermitage soon became a place of pilgrimage for peasants and villagers from nearby areas.

The Sanctuary of the Virgen del Aguila is located within the grounds of the ancient medieval village of Alcalá de Guadaíra, a few kilometers from Seville. In the Chronicle of XX Kings it is recorded that the Holy King Ferdinand III inhabited this castle between 1246 and 1248. As was his custom, St. Ferdinand christianized the main mosque built on a site where there had previously been a Visigothic church. He also consecrated the new church in honor of the Virgin Mary, as he always did, this time under the invocation of Santa Maria del Aguila. The most popular version of the story declares that at the time of the Muslim invasion, the Christians hid the primitive image of the Virgin Mary in a tower of the castle, where, after the Reconquest, an eagle discovered it. However, in the Archives of the Archbishop's Palace, in a pastoral visit carried out in February 1617, the visitor links the name "Eagle" with the second wife of King San Fernando, Doña Juana de Pointhieu. She had a great devotion to her onomastic Saint John the Evangelist, whose symbol is an eagle. The visitor writes that: "The altarpiece of the main altar is old, well painted and gilded. In the middle it has an image of Our Lady to whom they have a special devotion, calling it the Eagle." A century later, Alfonso XI built the current Gothic-Mudejar temple due to the deterioration of the original building.

On June 29, 1236, King Ferdinand III the Saint entered victoriously into Cordoba. The Muslims, abandoned by their king Ibn Hud and exhausted after a long siege, surrendered the city and prepared to abandon it. St. Ferdinand, with a gesture full of symbolism, decided not to enter the city with his banner first, but with the Holy Cross. He accompanied it with his entire entourage until it was placed on the minaret of the mosque. That same afternoon the consecration ceremony of the Muslim building into a Christian temple took place. St. Ferdinand titled the temple "Santa Maria" (Saint Mary), although in the sixteenth century the invocation was changed to Our Lady of the Assumption. The fall of Cordoba into Christian hands shocked the Muslim world, being the ancient capital of the once powerful Emirate and later Caliphate of Cordoba, the most glorious stage of Al-Andalus.

The construction of the Mosque of Cordoba had begun under the reign of the first Umayyad emir Abd-ar-Rahman I in the eighth century over the Visigothic basilica of San Vicente Martyr, and was completed under Almanzor. It was a place for both religious and political meetings as it could hold up to twenty-thousand people. In the 16th century, a Gothic-Renaissance main chapel and transept were erected in the center of the cathedral. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984.

The Alcazar of the Christian Monarchs of Cordoba is a fortress and palace made up of solid walls and located a few meters west of the Mosque. It is strategically elevated on the banks of the Guadalquivir River. Throughout its history, it has been the residence of Roman governors, a Visigoth bastion, and the epicenter of the Caliphate of Al-Andalus when Cordoba was the center of the world. When Cordoba was conquered by Ferdinand III the Saint in 1236, the building, which was part of the old Caliphate Palace, was totally destroyed. The enormous site was divided up and distributed among the crown itself, the Cordoban mitre (in order to build the episcopal palace), different noble families and the Order of Calatrava. After a series of adaptations undertaken at the request of Alfonso X the Wise, the Alcazar of the Christian Monarchs, as we know it today, was ordered to be built in 1328 by the Castilian monarch Alfonso XI. Since then, it served as a provisional court for the Catholic Monarchs during the years of the siege of Granada. Thus, it was the scene of important episodes in the history of Castile at the end of the 15th century such as the first audience of the monarchs with Christopher Columbus or the birth of the princess Doña Juana. The Alcazar has been declared a place of cultural interest since 1931 and named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1994.

Autillo de Campos is a small town in the province of Palencia. Through a series of providential circumstances, this place became the scene of the proclamation of Ferdinand III as King of Castile. The lord of Autillo de Campos was Don Gonzalo Rodríguez Girón, one of the most loyal collaborators of King Alfonso VIII of Castile, and a great defender of Queen Berenguela, whom he sheltered in his Castle of Autillo during the attacks of the powerful Count Alvar Núñez de Lara, tutor of Berenguela's brother, King Enrique I. On June 6, 1217, King Enrique I died as a result of an accident. When Doña Berenguela heard the news, she renounced the throne in favor of her son, who was proclaimed king of Castile in Autillo de Campos, a few days after the royal death on June 14 as a step toward his official coronation in Valladolid. Thirteen years later he would also be proclaimed king of León, giving rise to the definitive union of the crowns of both kingdoms.