Origin and remains of the Hospitaller Hospital at Jerusalem

"As early as 603 AD, Pope Gregory I commissioned the Ravennate Abbot Probus, who was previously Gregory's emissary at the Lombard court, to build a hospital in Jerusalem to treat and care for Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land. After that developments continued.

Templar castles in 12th century Outremer - police and taxing stations

Conspiracy theorists would have it that the Knights Templar, especially in their early decades, did not do much more than excavating under the Temple Mountain, finding all kinds of esoteric items, and bringing those to Europe. Is this reality or did the Templars have practical tasks?

Templars at the court of the Counts of Flanders

"Ever since the founding of the Templar Order, the Templars had considerable influence on the Counts of Flanders. As early as in 1127 and 1128 Counts William Clito and Derrick, successively, donated the rights to the repay of their personal loans in the County to the Temple Order. Several Flemish noblemen subsequently followed their example. This was an important source of income for the Temple.

Cistercian monasteries - preface to Knights Templar preceptories

The development of the 12th and 13th century Templar commanderies in Europe seems to have been closely related to the pattern of Cistercian settlements. This is one of the ways the Cistercians preceeded the Templars. In what way did the Cistercian monasteries preceed Templar commanderies?