TemplarsNow: 2024

Who were the true builders of Chartres Cathedral?

The five year restoration and reopening of Notre Dame de Paris on December 8, 2024 reminds one that magnificent edifices such as cathedrals are ultimately the combined passionate work of competent men and women of all trades, crafts and professions. As was the case with Notre Dame de Chartres cathedral in the 12th century.

"These poor Norman workmen departed on a new crusade, as it were, of chisel and trowel to offer their labour for the adornment of Our Lady’s Church." We know very little of the true builders of Chartres Cathedral. Who were they and how were they organized? A glimpse.

On November 27, 1095, Pope Urban II delivered his speech at Clermont Ferrand, aimed at arrousing the people to start an armed pilgrimage to deliver the Holy Land from the hands of the "pagans", a pilgirmage that later became known as the First Crusade. Of this speech several quite different versions have been delivered to our time by primary sources. Below are the version of Fulcher of Chartres and the one of Robert the Monk.

The dissolution of the Knights Templar in 1312 has long been shrouded in controversy. New research conducted by Sophie Kirchgasser, presented in her dissertation at the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, sheds groundbreaking light on the bull Vox in Excelso, issued March 22, 1312 (alternatively sometimes April 3, 1312 is mentioned) and traditionally viewed as the legal instrument behind the Order's disbandment. Meticulous historical and legal analysis reveals that the dissolution was never formally or legally enacted, casting doubt on centuries of ecclesiastical and historical interpretation. What are the facts?

An earlier blog on the medieval cult of Mary Magdalene concluded that this cult in the 11th to 14th century seems to have been more coinciding with the development of the Cistercian Order than being a product of the latter, both resonating on the same principles of penitence, devotion and contemplation. The Knights Templar held the same core values, which inspired them in their religious, socio-economic and military roles. Is there proof of a special Templar relationship with the Mary Magdalene cult?

The onset of the Cistercian and Templar Orders was defined to a great extent by the changing historical context of in 11th to 13th century religious Western Europe. What were the main aspects?

As found earlier, the religious life of the Knights Templar remains an underexplored area of medieval history. Artifacts and documents are lacking and dispersed following the Order's dissolution in the early 14th century. At the same time, the Templars prosecution in the West did render much data. These indicate that Templar religious practices were not enforced by a centralized administration, but exhibited significant regional variations in their liturgical life. Some details.

The cult of Mary Magdalene, as it is understood today especially in France, has its origins in various historical and religious developments over centuries. How did it develop and what role was played by the Cistercian Order?

The run-up to the arrest of many French Knights Templar on October 13, 1307 was marked by betrayal and manipulation. Key figures like Esquieu de Floyran and others accused the Order of heresy, helping King Philip IV justify their arrest and suppression. What were their motifs?

Popular thought has it that the Knights Templars were "the builders" of the gothic cathedrals such as the one in Chartres, France. As for Chartres, the first building phase of a big cathedral followed the 1020 fire. This is a century before Templar times. If the Templars did not, who did pay for this early building project? A reconstruction.

The Knights Templar held a significant but often overlooked presence in the northern Netherlands. In Brabant they had their commandery at Ter Brake near Alphen. What is known?

The religious life of the Knights Templar remains an underexplored area of medieval history. This gap in scholarship is primarily due to the order's relatively short existence, the dispersion of its artifacts and documents following its dissolution in the early 14th century, and the dramatic nature of its downfall which often overshadows other aspects of its history. What do we know of their religious life in the East?

The 12th and 13th centuries were transformative periods for the papacy, marked by significant administrative reforms, increased political power, and theological developments. How did the development of the monastic Orders interact with this development of the Papacy?

Templar and Hospitaller governance and personnel around the year 1300

The Templar Order is frequently scrutinized for its role and operations, particularly when compared to the Hospitaller Order. What was the internal dynamics of the Templars during the turn of the 13th century, a critical period?

The Siege of Jerusalem took place from June 7 to July 15, 1099, during the First Crusade. This successful siege saw the Crusaders take Jerusalem from the Fatimid Caliphate and laid the foundations for the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

When thinking about crusading in the 12th century, one is usually inclined to consider first the Levant, and perhaps in second place present day Spain and Portugal. However, at the middle of the 12th century there were many more military theatres as well as coordinated efforts to achieve success in several places at the same time. An overview.

Recently TemplarsNow added four new departments in Western France to its collection of Templar site maps. All departments are in the former Poitou-Charantes region. Check out the new maps for Charante, Charante-Maritime, Deux-Sèvres and Vienne!

"A considerable number of associations of armed men existed during the central and high Middle Ages, fulfilling diverse purposes, such as the defense of churches or of Christian territory and the fight against heresy, as well as preserving the peace. Founded on a tradition of brotherhood taken from the Gospels, these militias had varying degrees of organization.What is known about them?

Payen (Paganus, Païen) de Montdidier was one of the founding members of the Knights Templar. He is one of the more obscure members of whom little is known. A quick scan in public sources showed that reliable data on Payen himself are very scarce indeed. At the same time, there is more than enough information to show the importance of his family and the contribution he made to the Templars. What are the facts?

The history of the Order of the Temple closely coincided with the development of papal power during the 12th and 13th centuries. How did the papal power develop?

According to William of Tyre, Geoffrey de Saint-Omer ("Gaufrede de Sancto Aldemarlo") was among the first knights of the military and religious order of the Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Salomon, later to be known as the Knights Templar, with Hugues de Payns. What do we know of his life and that of his family?

The influence of the medieval Cistercians on the early Knights Templar

What was the extent of the influence of the Cistercians on the Templars?

TemplarsNow is still working on its mapping project, aimed at pinpointing the geographical location of major and in many departments also minor Templar sites in France on modern Google-maps. Recently 7 new departmements in Northern France were added: Ardennes, Aisne, Marne, Nord, Oise, Pas de Calais and Somme. Check them out!

"Templar assets, including liturgical books, instruments and garments, but also all other writings which the Templars had possessed or produced, dispersed widely and were absorbed into the treasuries and sacristies of laymen and ecclesiastics after the disintegration of the Order around 1312. Only few religious books once pertaining to the Order have as yet been discovered. They shed light on the question whether or not the Templars used a uniform liturgy and what they used it for. (...)

"Most general and regional studies of the Templars contain little comment on provincial chapters. This is hardly surprising. Although they probably began to be held by the middle years of the twelfth century, for most of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the surviving sources provide only occasional references to provincial chapters. The section in the order’s regulations on the holding of chapters is concerned mainly with their function as chapters of faults, and makes no specific comment about provincial assemblies. What is known?

In about 1120 King Baldwin II decided to lend his palace at what now is called the Al-Acsa Mosque, temporarily to the juvenil Templar Order. Its Primitive Rule (after 1129, TN) implies that their compound at the palace, after having come into Templar hands, would have comprised a refectory, a chapel or church, a chapter house, and an infirmary. Where was in the early days that church?

One of the myths that the Templars told about their own beginning was that for the first nine years there were only nine knights. This is first mentioned in William of Tyre but was often repeated by later chroniclers who learned it from the Templars of their own time. Fiction or fact?

The immense consumption of water at the Temple sanctuary required the development of a complex water system on the elevated Temple Mount. How was this arranged?

How was the climate in the Levant during Crusader times? The many chronicals and travel reports shed some light on this.

The 77 paragraphs of the original Primitive Rule (1129-1131) hold many details on how the Knights Templars should behave during and between feast days, such as Easter.

At the archives of the cathedral of Modena a precious liturgical code is preserved. According to some authors, the medieval code would come from a local scriptorium. Others believe it would come from Piacenza where was the House of S. Mary of the Temple, one of the most important Templar foundations of Italy. What is the importance of this liturgical manuscript?

Under the southeastern part of the Haram al-Sharif esplanade (Temple Mount) is a vast subterranean complex that is often indicated as King Solomon's Stables. This complex was actually used as stables by the Knights Templar. What is known about its origin and use?

710 years after the Templar demise on March 18, 1314

"It was the final act of the Templar Trial which would set the stage for the legends that the Templars have survived to this day. On March 18, 1314 (although also March 11 has been mentioned as the most probable date), Jacques de Molay, Geoffroi de Charney, the Preceptor of Normandy, and two other high Temple officials were brought out to confess their sins in public ceremony on the Ile des Javiaux island in the Seine River, Paris, before being sentenced to perpetual imprisonment. Things went differently.

The basis of the Cistercian way of life was traditional, in that they, like other monks, followed the Rule of St Benedict. Indeed, the reason given for the decision in 1098 to leave Molesme for Citeaux was the failure of that community to observe the Rule properly. So in what way did the Cistercians differ from the Benedictines?

What did Temple Mount look like during Templar times, so between about 1120 and 1187? Theoderich, who visited Jerusalem probably in 1169, describes the Templar buildings in great detail.

Still very little is known about the military orders’ religious functions in the dioceses in medieval Europe in which they held ecclesiastical possessions. What were relevant aspects of Templar religious involvement in medieval society in general and the reactions of senior clergymen to the Templars’ religious engagement on the parish level in particular? How did the Templars expand their network of parish churches and engage with the lay public?

How was the relationship between the early Templars and the first kings of Jerusalem?

The Latin Liturgy of Jerusalem: a mixture of old and new, Occidental and Oriental

"The 12th century liturgy of Jerusalem was immensely important in the newly created socio-cultural and sacral landscape. Unique rites were established and formed part of a large project aimed at transforming the post-Byzantine Muslim city of Jerusalem into the Latin capital of their Kingdom and a spiritual centre of the Christian world. How was this accomplished?

The Templar compound on Temple Mount Jerusalem

"Shortly after the conquest of Jerusalem in 1099, the Al-Aqsa mosque became the residence of the Frankish kings of Jerusalem. But the kings were not able to maintain the building in the condition in which they had found it." Perhaps that is what inspired king Baldwin II to lend the site to the young Templar Order. A reconstruction.

Jerusalem - Templar purpose and alibi in Bernard's "De laude novae militiae"

De laude novae militiae, the famous eulogy written by Bernard of Clairvaux during the stay of Hugues de Payns in Europe in 1127 or 1128, contains several thoughts about the functions of the new Templar chivalry and the battles that the Templars are waging in the East. What details about the headquarters of the order exist and what conception of Jerusalem prevailed in the clerical consciousness of the first half of the 12th century? (...)

"The historiography of the Knights Templar is long, complex, and generously laced with fiction and legend. It overlaps with the historiographies of The Masonic Temple, the myths of the Grail, and the legends surrounding somewhat more concrete relics, such as the Shroud of Turin, and the splinter of the True Cross, which was captured by (and disappeared under) Saladin. How to distinguish between fact and fiction?

During their campaigns, the crusaders faced not only Muslim opponents but also natural misfortunes such as plagues, droughts and earthquakes.

By the end of 1110, the administrative shape of the crusader states in Syria and Palestine can be discerned. How were secular and religous rule established?

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