Legends about Templiers

The end of the Ordre of the Temple (1307-1314) generated many Légende S about Templiers . They appeared primarily as from the 18th century, in particular in the maconnic mediums, which will see in them the link with the mythical builders of the Temple of Solomon. These legends generally developed and relate to the secret survival of the order and the nature of a mysterious treasure, source of their richness and their power, this treasure being often related to the legend of the Graal. They are very widespread in the esoteric literature , which they are fictions or speculations, and recently knew an renewed interest because of bestsellers like the Da Vinci Code . One of the protagonists of the Pendule of Foucault of Umberto Eco notices that “ Templiers are there always for something . ”

Origins of the legends

A certain number of aspect of the history about the Temple are at the origin of the many legends appeared about it:

power, richness and the influence of the order
Its fine tragedy and sudden
charges of heresy, idolatry and sodomy carried at the time of the lawsuit, and " confirmées" by the consents obtained under torture.

Before the 18th century

Between the fall of Templiers and the 18th century century, two rather contradictory ideas develop: that of the innocence of the Order with respect to the charges which had been carried against him and " confirmées" by the consents obtained under torture, and that of a esotericism templier (idea which one finds the trace in the Of occulted philosophia (1531) of the doctor alchemist Cornélius Agrippa).

Freemasonry templière at the 18th century

The first maconnic cabins appear at the 17th century in Scotland and England, and are spread in Europe in first half of the 18th century. They claim of a old origin, going back to the supposed origins of the " cabins opératives" (i.e. of true craftsmen masons), like at the origins of art building itself and thus, in an environment deeply marked by Christianity, with the biblical myth of the construction of the Temple of Solomon.

About 1725, in London the third rank of freemasonry appears. Its legend makes of the craftsman bronzier Hiram, mentioned in the Bible, the architect of this building site. In 1736, in its famous speech, the knight of Ramsay (1686-1743) attaches Freemasonry to the cross , and more specifically to the knights of Midsummer's Day of Jerusalem, but not to Templiers.

In this first half of the 18th century, in Germany, circles alchemists appear, under the generic name of Rosicrucian brotherhood d' Or , and connected to each other by rather fuzzy doctrines, more or less inspired of the mysterious proclamations Rosicrucian brotherhood of the previous century (1614 and 1615). It was propagated in the German and Protestant mediums maconnic, whereas the pope Clément XII had protested against freemasonry in the bubble In eminenti (1738).

The oldest known writing is a manuscript maconnic of 1760 found in Strasbourg, which connects Templiers, Rosicrucian brotherhood and Francs-Maçons in an unmemorable tradition of a secret society, hermetist and occultist. and some companions (the number varies) find refuge in Scotland, on the island of Mull. This legend makes it possible to connect Templiers with the Scottish origins of Freemasonry, the oldest known cabin, that of Mary' S Chapel , being founded in 1599 by William de Saint Clear. The historical character of filiation templière was however rejected at the time of the general assembly of Freemasons maconnic of Wilhelmsbad in 1782, to become " symbolique" and " spirituel" within the Scottish Rite Rectified rested by the Lyonese Jean-Baptiste Willermoz.

Consequently, the " groups; néo-templiers" will develop in margin of freemasonry.

Néotempliers at the 19th century

The Baphomet

Baphomet indicate a Idole which would have been adored by Templiers.

In fact the term Baphomet pronounced forever by the indicters, nor by Templiers, and appears only in its adjectival form baphometic or bafometic , in the consents torn off with the brother occitan of Montpezat, Gaucerant, which acknowledged to have adored one bafometic image . Many assumptions were made on the origin of this mot. Notamment which it would be about a deformation in language of oc of Mahomet, which one meets in a poem of 1265, Ira and Dolor: E Bafomet will obra of sound poder ( And Mahomet makes shine its power ).

But the legend of Baphomet starts with the Pamphlet Mysterium Baphometi revelatum (1819) of the Austrian orientalist, in addition catholic conservative, Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall which makes of Templiers of the gnostic , of the Ophites, of the Apostat S and of the idôlatre S. According to the orientalist Silvestre of Sacy, Baphomet is in fact a Reliquaire (1818). This idea will be taken up by Hammer-Purgstall which 1832 to write to a Mémoire on the two gnostic boxes of the cabinet of Mgr the duke of Blacas and Prosper Mignard in his Monographie of the box of Mr. the duke of Blacas (1852), and Suite of the Monograph of the Box of Mr. the Duke of Blacas, or evidence of the Manicheism in the Order of the Temple (1853).

The idea of an esotericism templier is popularized

The secret rule of the order: the document of Hamburg

A manuscript of a hypothetical esoteric rule and secret of the Order, was found in the files of the Big room of Hamburg in Germany, and published in 1877 by a German scholar, Theodor Merzdorf.

Frederic Munter (1761-1808), bishop Lutheran of Copenhagen, would have discovered in 1780, in the files of the the Vatican, a parchment divided into four parts. The first, gone back to 1205, would contain a copy of the official rule about the Temple, preserved today at the library Corsini with Rome. The second and third parts, gone back to 1240 and signed Robert de Samfort, would contain 30 respectively and 21 articles grouped under the inscription “ Ici begins the book of secret the Statute or Baptism of fire written for the Brothers with the Roncelinus Master. ” Lastly, the fourth part would be a handbook of Cryptographie entitled “ Ici begins the list of Secret Signs that Maître Roncelinus joined together. ”. In a letter with his/her friend Wilke, Munter would indicate that it would have lost most of these documents, that Merzdorf would have found.

It was shown that it was about a forgery

Curse of Templiers

The last Master about the Temple, Jacques de Molay, would have cursed his indicters on roughing-hew it island with the Jews in Paris, on March 11th 1314. According to the Geoffroy chronicler of Paris, his declaration would have been: “" Lords, at least let join a little my hands to me and towards God to make my prayers, because it is time and season: I see my judgment here… God knows who wrongly and sinned: and misfortune will fall down soon on those which condemn us wrongly. God will avenge our death! Lords, will know that in truth all those which are contrary for us, by us will have to suffer. In this faith, I want to die…”

The pope Clément V died one month after, on April 20th, probably of a cancer of the intestines. The king Philippe Beautiful the died of an accident of horse during a hunting, in November of the same year. Its three sons, Louis X of France, Philippe V then Charles IV went up successively on the throne of France and will die young people. Louis X dies in 1316. His/her posthumous son Jean I {{er}} will live only a few days. Philippe V length , dies 1322, and Charles IV in 1328.

The dynasty capétienne dies out then and the popular legend of the curse develops. It was given to the honor by the writer Maurice Druon in his novel with success the cursed Kings (1955 - 1977).

Others further go, by allotting the death of king de France, Louis XVI, with this same curse, thirteen generations later, figure 13 acting like a bringer of ill-luck. During his execution a man would have exclaimed in crowd: " Jacques de Molay you are vengé"

The treasure of Templiers

Charettes of straw

Templier Jean de Châlon, of the Temple of Nemours, would have declared in June 1308 goes down for hearing some in front of the Pope that “ the day before arrest of Templiers (at the evening of October 12th, 1307), a procession including/understanding three carriage covered with straw and about fifty horses left the Temple of Paris under the control of two Templiers, Hugues de Chalons and, especially, Gerard de Villers, the tutor of France ”. These declarations would be preserved at the secret Archives of the Vatican

Templiers and Graal

Certain legends put in report/ratio Templiers with the Graal of the legends arthuriennes (written at the 12th century and 13th century, on judicious events to be held at the 5th century and 6th century). Would Graal have been found by Templiers (in the Temple of Jerusalem?) then taken along to Scotland after the fall of the order (and would be always hidden in the Rosslyn Chapel). These legends in general rest on the Courtly romance Parzival of Wolfram von Eschenbach (~1170- ~1220), in which Graal is kept by knights templiers.

See too

Bibliographical resources

Works used for the drafting of this article

Other works making authority in this field

Article related

Order of the Temple

External bonds

{in} Templar History popular Magazine History of the templiers
{in} Modern Order off not Masonic Scottish Knights Templar In connection with the order of the knights of the temple in Scotland

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