by S. J. Hodge
The Templars in Spain and Portugal
King James II of Aragon always believed in the Templars, but when the Pope suppressed them, he had to act. Having no intention of giving their property away to others, however, he simply renamed the Brotherhood the Order of Montesa, honouring them with a duty to defend the country. The Order of Montesa remained an essential part of Spain for 175 years until Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile drove the last Muslims from the country. Similarly in Portugal, support of the Templars remained unimpaired. In 1319, King Diniz asked Pope John XXII’s permission to reform the Templars as the Order of Christ, or the Knights of Christ. The Pope approved. It is unclear, however, whether many original Templars continued in the new order, or whether it was a completely new formation that simply followed much of the Templars’ Rule. After a further four years, King Diniz was sanctioned by the Pope to give the new order Templar possessions, including their former headquarters at Tomar.
The Battle of Bannockburn, in Stirling County, Scotland on 24 June 1314, when King Robert the Bruce defeated the English king Edward II. This illustration is taken from the 14th-century Holkham Picture Bible.
A Spanish painting of the 15th century, depicting Our Lady of Grace and the Masters of the Order of Montesa. The Masters’ white mantles with the red cross is the same habit as worn by the Templars.
Grand Masters of the Order of Christ included various important individuals including Prince Henry the Navigator, the third son of King Joäo of Portugal. Under Prince Henry’s direction, the Order became involved in voyages of discovery around the coast of Africa. Henry’s main aim was to explore beyond Cape Bojador, south of the Canary Islands, and to this end, he and the Knights of Christ went on many productive expeditions. The Order of Christ established and defended numerous trading posts with the Templars’ splayed red cross emblazoned on their fleet’s sails. It is alleged that, in 1492, the Order of Christ also provided the navigators for the voyage of Christopher Columbus. They almost definitely accompanied Vasco da Gama on his discovery of the sea route around Africa to India in 1497, as he was a member of the Order. Ships and shipping were an important element in a rather extended ‘modern’ conspiracy theory involving the Templars.
Tomar Castle
The castle at Tomar was renamed the Convento de Cristo (Convent of the Order of Christ) once it was given to the Knights of Christ. It was originally built in 1160 by Gualdim Pais, the provincial Grand Master of the Templars, with round corner turrets, which were more difficult to build but easier to defend in battle. It contains a large round church, which from the outside is a 16-sided polygonal structure with buttresses, round windows and a bell-tower. Inside, the round church has a central, octagonal structure that echoes both the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.
The ribbed vaulting and sanctuary of The Convent of the Order of Christ, in Tomar, Portugal, originally a Templar stronghold, built in 1160. After the Templar Order was dissolved, the Portuguese branch was turned into the Knights of the Order of Christ, supporting Portugal’s maritime discoveries of the 15th century.
Discoverers of the New World
The Knights Templar had a large fleet of ships which they used for combat, for trading and for transporting pilgrims and goods. The ships were based in various ports around Europe, including La Rochelle, Bristol, Marseilles and, before their losses, in Acre in the Holy Land. After the Templar arrests in 1307 there is no further mention of these ships. Nonetheless, stories that Templar survivors may have sailed to the New World were circulated at the same time as the Bannockburn story. It was claimed that just before the Templars were arrested in France, news slipped out about what was happening, and some brothers hastily gathered their most valuable treasures that were kept in the Paris Temple and secretly loaded them on to wagon trains which they carried overland to the port of La Rochelle. There, the hoard was loaded on to Templar ships, which sailed away and were never seen again. One theory is that they travelled to Scotland. Another theory adds that, although the Templars stayed in Scotland with their treasure, decades later their descendants sailed to Canada and America. A third theory claims that they sailed straight to Canada and America from France, even though Christopher Columbus is usually considered to be the first European to discover ‘the New World’ in 1492. However, the Templar ships that supposedly sailed away from La Rochelle laden with treasure were never made for long ocean voyages; they were not robust enough and could not carry enough water to have journeyed across the Atlantic Ocean.
Painted in 1460 purportedly by the Portuguese court painter, Nuno Gonçalves, this is a detail from an altar thought to be showing Henry the Navigator who was responsible for the Order of Christ’s voyages of discovery toward the end of the 15th century.
The second theory about the Templars’ descendants voyaging to the New World suggests that the Templars sailed with Henry Sinclair, the first Earl of Orkney (c.1345–c.1400), a descendant of a Templar called Henri de Saint-Clair who allegedly fought with Godfrey de Bouillon in the First Crusade. These Templar ships were apparently captained by the Venetian brothers Nicolò and Antonio Zeno, and it is claimed that they reached Nova Scotia in 1389. Over 160 years later, the Zenos’ maps and letters were published. Although these seem to show that they did reach the coast of America and Canada, in the documents no mention is made of anyone called Sinclair. It was not until 1780 that another writer identified ‘Zichmni’ from the Zeno documents, who was described as being in charge of the voyage, as Henry Sinclair. The entire story is now generally considered by most specialists on the subject to be a fabrication, based on misinterpreted facts and false claims. The published Zeno documents are regarded as a hoax, as they have been proved to have been copied from the descriptions made by Columbus about his observations, with a few slight adjustments. The accompanying map has been shown to have been copied from a chart made in 1539. Most contradictory of all, it has been proved that Nicolò Zeno was in prison in Italy from 1396 to 1401: the time he was said to have been sailing across the Atlantic. Furthermore, no contemporary source mentions Henry Sinclair’s voyages. Another reason – not verified – why the Templars may not have joined forces with the Sinclair family is that, allegedly, Henry Sinclair and his brother William testified against the Order in 1309. If this is true, then it is highly unlikely that the Sinclairs had any amicable connections with the Templars after this date.
All three theories have been linked to the Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland. As well as containing the Apprentice Pillar (see Rosslyn Chapel), where the treasure may have been hidden, the Rosslyn Chapel is richly decorated with carvings. In the late 20th century, two of the carvings were identified by Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas in their book The Hiram Key as ears of corn or maize and an aloe: plants that the authors explained were native to parts of America and which, by 1446 or 1456, the time of Rosslyn’s construction, had never been seen by a European. Three facts dispel this myth. One, the carvings were made some time after the Rosslyn Chapel was built; it is not clear when exactly, but they are not part of the fabric of the building. Two, the carvings do not definitively represent maize or an aloe. They could be any one of several other plant species. Three, the succulent aloe is native to Africa and not to the east coast of North America where it is claimed the Templars travelled to, and there are no cornfields in the areas they were said to have visited.
Among other historians on the subject, Dr Louise Yeoman, who specializes in Scottish history, dismisses the Sinclair–Knights Templar connection, saying that it was invented by 18th-century fiction writers, and also dismisses any Templar connection with Rosslyn Chapel, saying that it was built by William Sinclair (grandson of Henry Sinclair) so that Mass could be said for the souls of his family. Also, the carvings in the Rosslyn Chapel that appear to resemble Templar icons, (even though they are clearly different), were made at an unknown date, almost certainly later than the date of its construction in the mid-15th century (see Rosslyn Chapel). The cl
aim that the layout of the chapel replicates Solomon’s Temple has been analysed by Mark Oxbrow and Ian Robertson in their book, Rosslyn and the Grail, and concludes that it ‘bears no more resemblance to Solomon’s or Herod’s Temple than a house brick does to a paperback book’. Instead, Oxbrow and Robertson reflect that the Chapel closely resembles the East Quire of Glasgow Cathedral, which was added to the 12th-century stone church in the 13th century, and state that this resemblance was first mentioned as early as 1877 in the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries written by Andrew Kemp.
The disappearing fleet
The port of La Rochelle on the Atlantic coast in France is approximately 483 kilometres (300 miles) from Paris. The harbour lies in a natural bay, is relatively easy to defend and was said to have been developed by the Templars early in their history. Although it was not the most straightforward port from which to sail to either Outremer or England, it nonetheless became a bustling centre for the Templar fleet and the town became an important Templar Province with a rapidly increasing population.
There has been a great deal of deliberation over Templar treasure: what it was, whether it existed and, if it did exist, where it ended up. Although King Philip IV took a lot of the Templars’ money during their persecution, many have wondered if he took all their treasure and, if not, what happened to it? The contents of the treasure is a mystery, thought by some to be large hoards of gold and jewels, and by others as comprising more esoteric objects, such as the Holy Grail, Ark of the Covenant or other venerated items, such as the head of Christ or St John the Baptist, or even important religious documents, such as gospels that were omitted from the Bible or mystical knowledge about life, the universe or detailed explanations of sacred geometry, but as nothing has been found, nothing can be proved.
During the Templar trials, Jean de Chalon, a member of the Order from Nemours, testified that Gerard de Villiers, the Preceptor of the Paris Temple, had fled the country with 50 horses and 18 ships from the port of La Rochelle. However, there is no record of such a large number of ships – or indeed any Templar ship – leaving from La Rochelle or any other French port at that time. At the time of their arrests, the king’s men would have been especially vigilant in watching the ports. Chalon did not specify when Villiers left, however, so the fleet could have left some time before the arrests. To remain inconspicuous, the ships would have had to have sailed separately as a large fleet would have alerted the king’s officials. If the ships did leave like this, that is earlier and separately, then it indicates that the Templars knew in advance about their forthcoming arrests, which were meant to have been a secret. This is all undocumented so it remains speculative, but the Templar ships did disappear mysteriously. There is no record of them being taken by anyone; not the Hospitallers, nor King Philip. They had ships before they were suppressed in 1307, but none after their dissolution in 1312. Adding to the confusion, they only ever had a small number of large ships and not the 18 galleys that Chalon described. They had numerous small ships, that they used to take goods, money and pilgrims back and forth across the Mediterranean, but fewer than five galleys that would have been able to carry hoards of treasure.
One suggestion that the Templars possessed something of value and took it away to a secret hiding place before their suppression was made by the French author, journalist and editor, Louis Charpentier (b. 1905) in a book published in France in 1966 called Les Mystères de la Cathédrale de Chartres (The Mysteries of Chartres Cathedral). Charpentier drew attention to the carved image on the pillar in the north porch of Chartres (see Chapter 2) that illustrates the Ark of the Covenant in transit on a wheeled cart. Charpentier reintroduced and popularized the theory that the Templars found something under Temple Mount and that this was possibly the Ark of the Covenant, but there is still no physical or documentary evidence to support the supposition. The carving might be an interpretation by a freemason working on Chartres Cathedral of what he perceived to be the method used by Moses to transport the Ark of the Covenant, but it could also represent several other things. In reality, the Ark would have been carried on poles on men’s shoulders, but as Charpentier implies, it might be a depiction of either the Templars finding the Ark and moving it from Jerusalem to France when Chartres was built, or it could be showing them moving it from France to Scotland at another time. Another possible interpretation of the image could be a 12th-century prediction of the Order’s later persecution and capture, created as a warning and to show what to do in such a situation. Beneath the carving is a Latin inscription that states Hic Amititur Archa Cederis, which means ‘Through the Ark thou shall work’. This has had various interpretations, from a suggestion that it is a direct message from the Knights Templar, to a simple call to all worshippers to adhere to the Ten Commandments.
As the town of Chartres was in the domain of the Counts of Champagne for a time and also probably the birthplace of the 13th-century Templar Grand Master William de Chartres, it is often claimed that the Templars helped to build Chartres Cathedral. But again, there is no authoritative evidence of this and most of the theories of their involvement appear to be inspired more by the hope of a mystery than by any substantial proof. Most historians believe that the carving illustrates the Ark being smuggled into Egypt during the reign of King Manasseh in approximately 687 to 642 BCE, as described in the Second Book of Chronicles.
The Money Pit
Another legend about the Templars reaching the New World that may or may not be linked with those stories mentioned above, is the notion that they landed at Nova Scotia at the end of the 14th century. Associated with the question over what happened to their treasure, this legend begins at the end of the 18th century. With no records about it, Templar treasure has persistently been contemplated and many suppositions and theories have been proposed. It is reputed to have contained massive amounts of gold and silver bullion, the crown jewels of European royal families, sacred artefacts and priceless documents, but none of this has ever been verified.
A view of Chartres Cathedral and its soaring Gothic spires. Chartres is considered by many to be one of the finest examples of the French High Gothic style, and the skills and techniques used in its construction were enormously advanced for the time. Conjecture that the Templars were involved in the building of this cathedral has never been verified.
In 1795, three young men were on the shores of the tree-covered Oak Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. After noticing some ship’s tackle hanging from a tree and, below it, a large depression in the soil, the three began digging at the spot. They soon reached a layer of flagstones about three metres (ten feet) below and as they dug further, they discovered layers of oak logs at about every three metres (ten feet). At approximately nine metres (thirty feet) down, without special equipment, they could dig no further, so they abandoned the excavation, but public interest was aroused. Several years later, a company was formed to investigate the site. Successive oak platforms continued as they dug, until at 27 metres (90 feet), a stone inscribed with a simple code explained that treasure would be found just ‘forty feet [twelve metres] below’. However, the deep hole that had been dug suddenly filled with sea water, preventing any further excavation. Currently, after over two centuries, a huge amount of money has been spent on the pit as treasure hunters desperately try to get to the bottom of it. First, a series of flood tunnels were dug, then pumps, drills, dams and various kinds of machinery were all used to try to uncover the mystery and reach what many believe could be Templar treasure. This so-called ‘Money Pit’ became associated with the Templars because not far away several old gravestones were found marked with Templar crosses. The Money Pit has so far cost treasure hunters millions of dollars and five lives, but it has still not given up its secrets. Practically nothing – and nothing of value – has ever been found there. Various other theories have been suggested as to what might be buried there – if anything, as it could be an elaborate trick – but the debate continues. The flooding of the site with sea water has been pr
oved to be a natural phenomenon and not a clever man-made prank, but even this could have been planned on purpose, since the flooding happens when the pit reaches a certain depth. Whether it is a complicated hoax or whether something of substance is actually buried there, whoever placed the cut logs had substantial knowledge of engineering and went to a great amount of trouble.
