It took only a few years to eliminate an entire Order that had basked in the limelight of glory for so many centuries. Their footprints in Lleida, capital of the province of the same name in the Autonomous region of Catalonia, are still there although, because of lack of attention from the local authorities, evidence of their passing is crumbling slowly into the earth.
The Knights Templar, once the most powerful of the religious orders and, for many centuries, the unchallenged defenders of the Christian faith, were turned on by their own side and were completely and utterly destroyed.
Many myths and legends surround their demise: Why did they offer no resistance? Did they actually disappear or have they continued to survive underground for long centuries waiting for a radical social change to signal their reappearance? Were they really devil worshippers or were these trumped up charged invented by jealousy and greed?
Are they still the real defenders of the Faith, protectors of the Holy Grail?
Whatever the real story behind an enigmatic phenomenon, the castle of Gardeny, a sad ruin on a hill that dominates the city of Lerida but that is now overgrown with weeds, retains an atmosphere of mystery and romance.
It is easy to imagine the heroic knights, sweat running from their brows, unsheathed swords glinting in the sun’s dying rays as they desperately hack at hordes of attacking Moors, deadly enemies in a war of merciless cruelty.
And your eyes sweep over the Lerida below the castle, a scene that has changed since the days of the Knights Templar beyond all measure.
In the distance the Seu Vella rises proud above modern skyscape of the city below. The river Segre flows somnolently through green gardens that are lovingly attended by the city fathers and the towers of the New Cathedral rise upwards as if advertising an oasis of calm in the heart of an active and thriving metropolis.
Lerida, capital of the region of Segriá as well as of the province of Catalonia of Lerida, has been a place of human habitation at least since the 6th century BC when the Ilergetes tribe is known to have settled here, taking advantage of the high ground for defence.
A fiercely independent tribe, the Ilergetes fought first against the Carthaginians and then the Romans to maintain their way of life. However, with the exponential growth in power of the latter once it had defeated utterly the former, the town fell under the yoke of the Pax Romana.
Chronicles of the time tell of the Roman town of Ilerda being a thriving populous within strong walls where orchards flourished.
With the fall of the Roman Empire, the Peninsula was invaded by the Visigoths, Germanic tribes taking their turn at the expansionist game.
The wheel of time turned, potency decayed into decadence and, for lack of a common enemy, civil war reared its head. One of the sides in the war invited the Saracens in to help against the other and these; strong, religious zealots, took the initiative by turning on their once allies and taking control.
By the beginning of the 8th century, Al-Andaluz had become a reality and the victorious armies of Islam marched north reaching Lerida in 719 where they remained, an enlightened influence on the cultural development of the area, for over four centuries.
In 1149, the town of Lerida surrendered to the Christian armies of Ramon Bereguer IV and Ermengol VI of Urgell and the area became incorporated into the crown of Aragón.
The old cathedral, known as the Seu Vella, was started in 1203 and, when Government was established with power in the hands of the Paeria, thus began a lengthy period of construction within the town.
The 16th and 17th centuries were marked with unrest, revolution and war. In the 18th century, the city lost its privileged status and the Seu Vella was closed to worship, becoming instead a military barracks.
With the reign of Charles III the city regained its old prestige and the New Cathedral was commenced. But, with invasion of the Peninsula by Napoleon, the city once again fell into ruin as marauding armies destroyed centuries of illusion.
With the new century, the Catalan State was established and Lerida flourished again only to be destroyed once again in the cycle of war and peace as the Spanish Civil War rolled, like a mindless road roller, across the foundations of democracy.
Modern day Lerida is a thriving city of around 115,000 inhabitants that has expanded its influence not only in architectural but also in cultural significance. Theatres, care for the environment and excellent communications make this a premium centre for exhibitions and cultural activities of all types.
It’s understood by the author the decayed castle of Gardeny will be restored and recovered in the near future, a fitting testimony to the founding fathers of Lerida and a monument to the tenets of liberty and freedom for everyone to see.
It took only a few years to eliminate an entire Order that had basked in the limelight of glory for so many centuries. Their footprints in Lleida, capital of the province of the same name in the Autonomous region of Catalonia, are still there although, because of lack of attention from the local authorities, evidence of their passing is crumbling slowly into the earth.
In the distance the Seu Vella rises proud above modern skyscape of the city below. The river Segre flows somnolently through green gardens that are lovingly attended by the city fathers and the towers of the New Cathedral rise upwards as if advertising an oasis of calm in the heart of an active and thriving metropolis. 
The old cathedral, known as the Seu Vella, was started in 1203 and, when Government was established with power in the hands of the Paeria, thus began a lengthy period of construction within the town. 
