Despite the immense power the Order of the Temple achieved, at the beginning of the fourteenth century, they fell from grace due to a political conspiracy orchestrated by the King of France with the consent of the Pope. They were unjustly persecuted, imprisoned, and several of their members were executed at the stake.
Furthermore, their assets were confiscated. The Templars of Monzón fiercely resisted surrendering their fortress. The castle was besieged for seven months in 1308 by the armies of King James II. The knights finally surrendered in May 1309, making Monzón the very last Templar bastion to fall in the entire Crown of Aragon.
The Order was officially dissolved by Pope Clement V shortly after, in 1312. Monzón Castle was then handed over to another military order, the Hospitallers of Saint John of Jerusalem, and its history continued...
You are now standing in an area that belongs to the newer, seventeenth-century fortification. Just like in other parts of this modern sector, you can see sentry boxes for the watchmen on the outermost corners.
On this far end lies the embrasure that looks down toward the Plaza Mayor—the old parade ground—which is visible from here, along with the Renaissance Town Hall building. Beneath your feet lies the Powder Magazine, the chamber where weapons and ammunition were stored. It consists of two floors and reaches a depth of 14.5 metres.
Next to the entrance of the magazine, a sculpture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was installed in the early 1950s, donated to the city by the local company Hidro Nitro Española.