The Knights Templar

Sometime between 1110 and 1120, in the aftermath of the First Crusade, a small group of knights  vowed to devote their lives to the protection of pilgrims in the Holy Land. They were called the 'Order of the Poor Knights of Christ.' The King of Jerusalem, Baldwin II, granted them the use of a captured mosque built on Temple Mount in Jerusalem, the site of the ancient Temple of Solomon. From this they became known as the Knights Templar. Under the patronage of St. Bernard of Clairvaux the Order received papal sanction and legitimacy. The Knights Templar were granted permission by the pope to wear a distinctive white robe with a red cross. 

Within a hundred years the Order owned land all over Europe and had amassed considerable wealth. Much of the energy of the Templars was devoted to the transfer of men and money from Europe to the east. When they began to transfer funds for non Templars, they laid the roots for eventually becoming the bankers of Europe, but the Order had amassed great wealth and with it power; but it also incurred great jealousy. In the early part of the 14th century, in  circumstances  still disputed today, the Templars were suppressed.

Contents

Knight Templar Gallery - original artwork

"Come to Death"

Theories About the Head