The Estrella castle, which sits on a rocky hillock in the municipality of Montiel (Ciudad Real), was built by the Muslims in the 9th century. It was not until 1228 when the Christian troops managed to take it, after more than two years of siege. It was handed over to the then powerful military Order of Santiago, which added the proud Tower of Homage, a prismatic building measuring 25 metres on each side and the same in height. The commander of the square and the warden of the fortress resided there.
Weapons and provisions were also stored in its rooms. It was, without a doubt, the heart of the citadel. But in the 15th century, an earthquake partially destroyed it. The Castillo de La Estrella Foundation, the Montiel Town Council, the Ciudad Real Provincial Council, the Castilla-La Mancha Regional Government and the University of Castilla-La Mancha have been excavating and researching the castle for over a decade. During this time they have found numerous weapons, coins, rooms and even a spectacular tomb of a nobleman, the Tomb of Los Leones, which are proof of the surprising history of this site.
They have now located “a set of historical graffiti”, of which two stand out: a female figure with a crown and rich clothing, carrying a flower (possibly a lily) and resting on a canopy, and which may correspond to a scene of the Virgin, and a male figure with wide robes and a mitre, which could well represent a bishop. As it is a castle of the Order of Santiago, it is more than likely that it represents the prior of Uclés, the highest religious figure of this religious-military order in the kingdom of Castile and with jurisdiction over everything in Campo de Montiel, which also had a lieutenant, the vicar of Montiel. There is no other known representation of a prior of the order from the 13th century. Specialists remember that at that time “priors were removed and placed every now and then, there was an internal war in the order”, so it cannot be determined which of them the image represents exactly.
In the 13th century, the centre of the peninsula was militarily very unstable as it was a frontier land. The battle of Uclés against the Almoravids in 1108 and that of Alarcos in 1195 against the Almohads, as well as other Andalusian victories over the Christians, prevented the collapse of the front and extended Muslim rule in the centre of the peninsula until the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212 and the subsequent collapse of the Almohad empire. But skirmishes, sieges of castles or raids continued during this period along the border. Thus, the Muslim citadel of Uclés passed to the Order of Saint John, and then to that of Santiago, in 1174, which made it the centre of its power in the kingdom of Castile.
For its part, the castle of Montiel, some 200 kilometres from Uclés, did not finally pass into Christian hands until after Las Navas, also becoming a great centre of power, being the seat of one of the main commanderies of the Order of Santiago, very close to the border.
The latest research, according to the professors from the University of Castilla-La Mancha, Jesús Molero, David Gallego and Cristina Peña, directors of the excavations, has now allowed them to document “graffiti of crosses, astral symbols and other traces that are more difficult to interpret on the plastering of the walls”. In the adjacent cemetery ―the archaeological site includes, in addition to the castle, other nearby buildings such as churches, cemeteries and battlefields― petroglyphs of alquerques (a game similar to tic-tac-toe), crosses on the slabs and ashlars of the tombs have been recorded”.
“The value of these findings goes beyond their aesthetic character,” the archaeologists add, “as they provide us with information about society, daily life, religion and superstition, among other aspects.”
However, the largest concentration of these representations has been located inside the fortress, thanks to the excavation, consolidation and restoration work on the building financed by the Provincial Council of Ciudad Real. Among them, there are Latin crosses on the walls of the towers or checkerboards that “have a transcendent meaning.”
“We know that in the mid-15th century an earthquake caused the collapse of part of the building, which led to its internal restructuring into three large rooms. This has allowed us to stratigraphically date the graffiti found, with a truly exceptional sample of this type of representation, both in a primary position, on the preserved coverings, and in a secondary position, among the collapsed brick and plaster that fill the interior of the building,” explains Gallego.
In the southern room of the keep, along the entire wall, graffiti has also been found on the plasterwork, probably made at the time of the construction of this structure, in the 13th century. “These graffiti may have an apotropaic (magical or protective) character, although some are simple marks that are difficult to interpret,” says Cristina Peña.
However, the main findings were located in the passageway between two rooms in the tower. On the jambs a star and a Hand of Fatima, a protective symbol of Jewish and Arab cultures, were identified, in addition to the aforementioned figures of the prior and the Virgin.
The entire set of graffiti has been consolidated so that it can be seen during guided tours organised by the Castillo de la Estrella de Montiel Foundation. A castle that, by the way, is fundamental to understanding the future of the Spanish monarchy due to the legendary betrayal of Enrique II of Trastámara to Pedro I the Cruel. But that would not happen until 14 March 1369. “It is, therefore, another story, in the same castle, but another fascinating story,” concludes Jesús Molero.