Spain's Association of the Sovereign Order of the Temple of Christ could theoretically demand compensation in the order of billions of euros -- but they claim that this is not their main motivation.

"We are not trying to cause the economic collapse of the Roman Catholic Church, but to illustrate to the court the magnitude of the plot against our order," read a statement from the order.

These knights of today may be attempting a bloodless form of retribution -- but they now have to contend with an intractable enemy in the form of the Spanish legal system.

The current petition is in the form of an appeal after authorities rejected their first attempt.

The original Knights Templar were a powerful group of warrior monks founded by the French knight Hugues de Payens to protect pilgrims to Jerusalem during the Crusades.

They provided services including shipping and banking -- by employing an early form of travellers cheque, the Templars are credited with laying the foundations for modern European banking.

But their amassing of tremendous wealth brought unwelcome attention from their enemies -- and an unholy alliance between Pope Clement V and King Philip IV of France brought about their demise in 1307.

Many Templars were tortured and burnt at the stake as heretics, including the Grand Master Jacques de Molay.

The death of de Molay has inspired a legend linking the dissolution of the Templars with the French revolution.

According to a passage in The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail: "When the king's head fell beneath the guillotine, an unknown man is reported to have leaped onto the scaffold."

"He dipped his hand in the monarch's blood, flung it out over the surrounding throng and cried, "Jacques de Molay, thou art avenged!"

Now the order must wait and see if they can expect satisfaction from the Spanish courts.

The Vatican have yet to comment on this reminder of their bloody past.