The convent of the Knights Templar in Acre emerged as an important institution in the religious fabric of the city, especially during the century bwteen the fall of Jerusalem (1187) and the fall of Acre (1291) which heralded the end of crusader presence in the Holy Land. During that century, the Templar chapel, adorned with its revered relic cross, purportedly played a miraculous role in the community, invoking rain and healing for the inhabitants in times of need.
The Templars possibly safeguarded some of the most significant relics within Acre and the wider Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem after the fall of Jerusalem and the failed Fourth Crusade (1202-1204) that caused properties and treasures being concentrated at Acre. Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Templars (1294-1314), was Commander of Acre from 1285 until 1291. Because he was in Cyprus at the time, he was unable to participate in the defence of Acre in 1291. Jacques from his own experience affirmed the splendor of the Templar chapels in Europe and the Latin East, stressing that they housed an esteemed host of relics and ornaments integral to divine worship.
Among the treasures of the Templar chapel in Acre, the most notable included the miraculous thorn from Christ’s crown of thorns. Described during the interrogations of Templars during the trials, the thorn was said to have miraculously blossomed in the hand of a Templar priest during Holy Week festivities. Other relics were a bronze cross crafted from the bowl used by Christ when washing the feet of his deduring the Last Supper, a copper relic cross formed from the tub where Christ was bathed in, and a phial containing Christ’s blood. The Templars’ Acre chapel also boasted relics such as portions of the True Cross and a diadem adorned with precious stones, believed to have been gifted to Christ by King Melchior of Arabia and Nubia.
The strategic placement of these relics within the Templar chapel served multiple purposes. Firstly, they affirmed the Templars’ devotion to Christ and their role as custodians of sacred artifacts, resonating deeply with Western pilgrims arriving in Acre seeking spiritual connection. Secondly, these relics were instrumental in impressing Acre’s noble classes and residents, showcasing the Templars’ wealth and stability, crucial for garnering support for the faltering Crusades.
Lastly, the Templars strategically employed their chapel’s relics to attract pilgrims, similar to pilgrimage sites in Europe, thereby enhancing their economic viability and influence. In that they held a unique and almost monopolistic position. Pilgrims encountering such objects would have experienced a powerful devotional resonance, reminiscent of the -now unreachable- holy sites of Jerusalem, but accessed within the fortified walls of Acre.
This blog is inspired by The Liturgy of the Holy Sepulchre and the Templar Rite: Edition and Analysis of the Jerusalem Ordinal (Rome, Bib. Vat., Barb. Lat. 659) with a Comparative Study of the Acre Breviary (Paris, Bib. Nat., MS. Latin 10478), Dissertation Sebastián Ernesto Salvadó, 2011, Stanford University. This work is licensed under CC BY-NC. The illustration shows the The Holy Thorn Reliquary at the British Museum, a stunning medieval reliquary made for Jean, Duke of Berry (d 1416), crafted to enshrine a single thorn from the Crown of Thorns. Photograph © Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licens. source
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