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Ramon Muntada Defends First Thesis on the Order of the Holy Sepulchre

The Girona-based lawyer analyzes the chivalric order's legal structure and calls for updating its regulations.

Generic image of an ancient document with parchment texture.
IA

Generic image of an ancient document with parchment texture.

Lawyer Ramon Muntada has presented the first doctoral thesis dedicated to the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, an exhaustive analysis of its legal structure and a call for updating its regulations.

Girona-based lawyer Ramon Muntada is the author of the first doctoral thesis focused on the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, a chivalric entity of the Catholic Church with a global presence, dedicated to supporting the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The research, titled "The Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem: Central Government of its Grand Magistry in the State of Vatican City and its Associative Organization in Spain," examines in detail the order's legal structure, both at the level of its central government, the Grand Magistry in Vatican City, and its territorial representations, with a special emphasis on the two lieutenancies in Spain.
Muntada, who joined the order in 2006 due to his Christian and solidarity-driven sensitivity towards the Holy Land, initiated this study to "know where I was getting into" and to "educate myself." The thesis is based on the analysis of four key regulations: the regulation of Eastern Spain (2004), Western Spain (2004), the general statute of 2020, and the general regulation of 2023. One of the strengths of the research is its timeliness, as "From the Government of the Grand Magistry in the Vatican, I review all the order's presences in the world, I talk about history, where we come from, but also about our present day."
As a conclusion from the analysis of the order's life through these provisions, Muntada points out that "regulations at the level of lieutenancies require an update, for example, by incorporating the challenges of the third millennium."
The Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem originated in 1099, during the first crusade, when Lord Godofreu de Bouillon founded it after the liberation of Jerusalem. Its first members were canons and knights dedicated to the custody of the Holy Sepulchre and the defense of the city. Currently, along with the Order of Malta, it is one of the two orders of chivalry recognized by the Vatican, with approximately 30,000 global members distributed across 50 lieutenancies. These delegations carry out social works, including the construction and maintenance of schools, universities, hospitals, and elderly residences. In Girona, the order has about fifteen members.

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