Calatrava La Vieja

Carrión de Calatrava, Spain, Spain

---

Calatrava La Vieja in Carrión de Calatrava, Ciudad Real province, Spain, is an 8th-century Islamic fortress that became Spain's first military order headquarters when the Order of Calatrava was founded there in 1158 by Raymond of Fitero after reclaiming it from the Moors.

Recaptured by the Almohads in 1195 following the Battle of Alarcós but retaken after the decisive Christian victory at Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212, it featured extensive walls, towers, a church, and urban settlement before the knights relocated to Calatrava La Nueva around 1217.

Abandoned by the 15th century, the sprawling archaeological site preserves layered Muslim and Christian defenses, including a sophisticated water system, as a key witness to the Reconquista's frontier struggles.