Champagne, the Templar cradle

To understand the origin of the Knights Templar and the mechanisms that lead up to their birth, one should explore their place of origin. Standard historical belief places their origin in Jerusalem in the year 1118, 1119 or 1120. This, however, is not the case. The cradle of the Knights Templar stood at the court of the Count of Champagne in the French town of Troyes. The establishment of a fraternity at Jerusalem was just another step in a development that started years before.

Pope Francis - a Templar and interfaith link?

On 13 March 2013 (13-3-13) Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church elected Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, born Dec 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as the 266th pope.

Bergoglio chose to take the name Francis, referring to Saint Francis of Assisi. Francis, founder of the Franciscan Order. Saint Francis was born at Assisi in Umbria, in 1181 or 1182. He died there on 3 October, 1226.

699th Commemoration death of Jaques de Molay

On March 18, 2013 we commemorate the 699th anniversary of the death of the last official Grand Master of the Knights Templar, Jacques de Molay. De Molay, born in 1244 was put to death in Paris by the King of France on 18 March 1314. He was the 23rd and last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, leading the Order from 20 April 1292 until it was dissolved by order of Pope Clement V in 1307.

Though little is known of his actual life and deeds except for his last years as Grand Master, he is the best known Templar, along with the Order's founder and first Grand Master, Hugues de Payens(1070–1136). Jacques de Molay's goal as Grand Master was to reform the Order, and adjust it to the situation in the Holy Land during the waning days of the Crusades. As European support for the Crusades had dwindled, other forces were at work which sought to disband the Order and claim the wealth of the Templars as their own. King Philip IV of France, deeply in debt to the Templars, had De Molay and many other French Templars arrested in 1307 and tortured into making false confessions. When de Molay later retracted his confession, Philip had him executed by burning upon a scaffold on the Paris Ile des Juifs in the River Seine on 18 March 1314.

Death-site plaque of Jaques de Molay on Isle des Juifs, Paris

source text and illustrations wikipedia.org

Celestine V - the 13th century abdicating pope

Pope Saint Celestine V (1215 – 19 May 1296), was born Pietro Angelerio to parents Angelo Angelerio and Maria Leone in a town called Sant'Angelo Limosano, in the Kingdom of Sicilia (Sicily). He showed an extraordinary disposition toward asceticism and solitude, which did not fit with his vocation as Pope. Consequently, he was one of the few Popes to resign.

Popes Benedict XVI and Celestine V - a templar link? - quote

"On 28th April 2009 Pope Benedict XVI visited the town of L’Aquila in Italy, which had been struck by a severe earthquake causing the loss of many lives. When he visited the parish church he prayed at the glass casket with the body of Pope Saint Celestine V, which had miraculously escaped destruction. Celestine was the last pope to abdicate, resigning on 13th December 1294.

On that day in 2009 Pope Benedict made a very distinctive gesture. He left on Celestine’s casket the long pallium with which he had been invested in 2005. Many at the time, including myself, thought this might be an indication that he too might abdicate in due course when he no longer felt able to carry out his papal office. And that is indeed what has happened!"

 

text and pictures from this source

Principality of Seborga - Cistercian-Templar state or hoax?

Seborga was an ancient feud of the Counts of Ventimiglia. In 954 Count Guido bestowed the castle, the Saint Michael's Church in Ventimigila and the big portion of land to the monks of Lerins.  

In 1079 Seborga became a Principality of the Holy Roman Empire. It also boasts a Templar and Cistercian origin. Fact or hoax?

Medieval stories in a Portugese railway station

In the entrance hall of the Sao Bento station in Porto, northern Portugal, is a display in painted tiles of key scenes in medieval history from that country. Events to which early Portuguese Templars may have contributed.

The Temple of Zaamslag, the Netherlands

The Temple of Zaamslag or Tempelhof was a Commandery of the Knights Templar, located at Zaamslag, a village in the south-west of the Netherlands. It is a very important archaeological site. 

Agenda 2012-2013

source: www.ordo-balliolensis.eu

 EVENTS 2012 

- W.E 17 March. Commemoration Jacques de Molay (Paris- F).
- W.E 13 Avril in Erevan (ARM). Creation G.P OSMTH Armenie.
- 20 till 22 April. Orden St Georg in Bad Aibling (D).
- 27 till 29 April. OSMTH. Belgrade (SCERB).
- 5 May. Lecture on an aspect of the new OSMTH politic. St Ingbert (D).
- W.E 19. May. Investiture Ordo Balliolensis. (Ludwigslust - D)
- 1-3 June in Maastricht (NL). Cordon Bleu du St Esprit.
- In Loukovit (Bulg). Investiture OSMTH Bulgaria, is postponed !
- 8 June, in (Bad Dürkheim - D). Trou Normand.
- W.E 10 June. Investiture OSMTH. (St. Petersbourg - R).
- 16 June, Investiture Order St Stanislas in (Wiesbaden - D).
- 23. June. Commemoration André Louis Saumier d'Albi. Chevaliers de France. (Chateauneuf-du-Pape -F) (Arrival 1).
- W.E 23 June. Investiture OSMTH (15 Years Jubil. Prior of Belgium). (Arrival 2)
- W.E 21 Jul. Soirée Beneficielle King of Tanna. (Pforzheim - D).
- W.E 21 Jul. Investiture Orden Heilige Erloser Aragon. (Altenberg/Odenthal - D).
- First W.E of September. Mundial Convent OSMTH (Venise - I). 
- W.E. 08 Sept. Kapitel Schwertbrüder von Livland, (Pommersfelden - D).
- W.E 22 Sept. Grand Convent Sovereign Order Christ the Savior (Kiev. UKR).
 - 28-30 Sept. Orden Cordon Bleu du St Esprit (Austrian Section), Südtirol (A).
- 3 October Ordre du St Sauveur de Monreal. (Thüringen - D).
- 6th October, Chevaliers du Trou Normand-GB in (Whiteley, Hampshire - UK).
- 6th October, Orden der Schwanenritter, (Schloss Banz am Main - D).
- 13th October, Chevaliers du Trou Normand (Rockenhausen - D).
 - Second WE of October. Investiture OSMTH Germany. (Tholey - D).
- 27 October. Ritter Orden vom Stern. (Bamberg - D).
- W.E 10 November. Investiture OSMTH (St. Andrews
- SCOT). - 13 November. Trou Normand.
- End of November or December, Sovereign Knightly Order of Christ the Savior. (Ukr). 

EVENTS 2013 

- End of March. Commemoration Jacques de Molay (Paris- France).
- 23. March, Schwertritter von Livland (Hasselt - BE)
- 19 -21 April. General Convent (Salzburg - A) Deutscher Ritterorden St. Georg.
- W.E 27 April. Elevation Squire OB. (Orval-B). Pending abbatial authorisation.
- About the penultimate Week End of June. Commemoration André Louis Saumier d'Albi (South of France). Chevaliers de France.
- First WE of September. Mundial Convent OSMTH (Bucharest - Rom).