Templars followed a twofold liturgical system: the Equinoctial Cycle beginning March 25 (Annunciation) and the Solstice Cycle beginning at Christmas. Both cycles included the movable feasts Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost as integral liturgical moments. Research confirms Pentecost’s presence in both cycles 1). One of the most significant manuscripts, a 12th-century Jerusalem rite ordinal used in both secular and Templar contexts, includes complete liturgical sequences for Pentecost. The Templars, aligned with the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, followed this structure. 4)
Surviving Templar liturgical manuscripts, especially the Templar Breviary of Acre and other ordinals, show explicit offices for Pentecost, including vigils, mass texts, and antiphons. These follow the Jerusalem liturgical tradition, which the Templars adopted early. 2) In the Latin East, Templar commanderies followed this Jerusalem rite strictly, but in the West, their liturgical practices adapted to local diocesan customs. Still, inventories and manuscripts from both spheres show consistent inclusion of Pentecost in calendars and offices. 1)
Inventories from Templar chapels in the Crown of Aragon reveal liturgical vestments and altar cloths specifically marked for Pentecost in red, the liturgical color associated with the Holy Spirit and martyrdom. This demonstrates its celebration with visual symbolism. 3)
To conclude, the Knights Templar recognized Pentecost and celebrated it within their liturgical and spiritual life. Breviaries, ordinals, inventories, vestments, and theological symbolism all point to the role Pentecost played in the Templar religious calendar, reflecting their alignment with the wider Church.
This blog provides the result of a quick scan using AI on scientific historical literature which provides details on the Templars celebrating Pentecost. The sources found were 1) Zöller, Wolf. The Regular Canons and the Liturgy of the Latin East. Journal of Medieval History 43.4 (2017): 367–383; 2) Salvadó, Sebastián E. "The Templar Liturgy and the Use of the Holy Sepulchre Rite in the Crown of Aragon." In On the Margins of Crusading, edited by Helen Nicholson, Ashgate, 2011, pp. 135–156; 3) Salvadó, Sebastián E. "Icons, Crosses and Liturgical Objects in Templar Chapels in the Crown of Aragon." In On the Margins of Crusading, Ashgate, 2011; 4) Vogel, Cyrille. Medieval Liturgy: An Introduction to the Sources. Trans. and ed. by William Storey and Niels Rasmussen, Pastoral Press, 1986. The illustration depicts Pentecost, from a manuscript from Belgium, possibly Tournai, ca. 1440, MS M.357. Fol. 127r, source, Public Domain.
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