
The actual link between the Knights Templar
Knights Templar
The Knights Templar, full name The United Religious, Military and Masonic Orders of the Temple and of St John of Jerusalem, Palestine, Rhodes and Malta, is a fraternal order affiliated with Freemasonry. Unlike the initial degrees conferred in a regular Masonic Lodge, which onl…
What are the differences between Masons and Templars?
masons are generic terms used to describe the organisation in general while templars reinact knight templars in their ceremonies or ceremonial garments worn at meetings Masons are a fraternity of men dedicated to charity in our communities.
Are masons related to the Knights Templar?
There is no historic link between modern Freemasonry and the Knights Templar. There are Masonic organizations who take the name Knights Templar, but any real connection is a fairy tale. The Templars "admitted" these offenses under torture by King Philip, who was their political enemy. Philip also seized the treasury of the order.
Were the Knights Templar really monks?
YES. The Templars WERE monks. Whether knights, sergeants or lay brothers, they were members of a monastic Order, sanctioned by the Pope in 1128 and living under a Rule provided by St. Bernard sometime before 1136. The initiation rites were simple and NOT secret. They are described in detail in a number of sources.
What is the link between the Knights Templar and Freemasonry?
The only link between the Knights Templar and the Freemasons is the highest degree within the York Rite or as an Independent order. The Knights Templar within Freemasons was founded in 1743 as a philanthropic organization. The order claims that they have no lineage to the original Knights Templar.
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Why were the Templars forced to invent?
For these reasons, as Masonic historians admit and explain, those real Templars were “forced to invent some way of securing the secrecy of those taking part in the building of [Rosslyn] Chapel. Using aspects of Templar belief and worship, William Sinclair created a ‘secret society’ to which his stonemasons were introduced.” This “started out as a form of ‘charter’ assuring the masons of continued patronage and exclusive privileges regarding their trade”. As a result, “the precepts of Freemasonry owe much to the survival of Templar and post-Templar thinking in Scotland.”
Which Templar Commandery created Freemasonry?
Rosslyn Chapel – Templar Commandery Which Created Freemasonry. Rosslyn Chapel in Edinburgh, Scotland, is famous as a “Templar” structure, although there has been some confusion as to whether it was from hereditary Templars descendant from the original Order, or whether it was solely “Masonic”. That issue is resolved by a factual balance, ...
What is the Sovereign Magistral Order of the Temple of Solomon?
The Sovereign Magistral Order of the Temple of Solomon offers its support to Freemasons and their Lodges, in friendship, to help restore and preserve authentic and uncorrupted Freemasonry, by replenishing it with the full depth of the most ancient knowledge of the Temple of Solomon which originally inspired the Masonic tradition.
Why is Freemasonry characterized by secrecy?
This context also explains why Freemasonry is characterized by secrecy, in contrast with the Knights Templar principles of exercising public official authority for visible preservation and open popularization of esoteric knowledge as the collective heritage of humanity. The fraternity of Freemasonry emphasizes the metaphorical Temple ...
How long after the Masonic fraternity was the Illuminati created?
The 18th century “Illuminati” was created another full 330 years after the Masonic fraternity, such that authentic Freemasonry itself does not espouse nor embody any principles of that later secret society.
Why was the Kirkwall Scroll important?
The Kirkwall Scroll is significant as perhaps the most tangible evidence proving that Masonry was independent as a unique offshoot since its earliest inception, and was mostly created for the Order of the Temple of Solomon to protect themselves as a formerly persecuted Order surviving in secrecy.
How long did the Rosslyn Chapel last?
The active use of Rosslyn Chapel by hereditary Templar descendants of the Order spanned the period of approximately 259 years from ca.1466-1725 AD. This supports the conclusion of many historians, that the original Order had in fact survived the French persecution of 1307 AD, and continued to thrive as an underground network, serving as a hidden force of great positive influence, development and prosperity throughout Europe.
What is the connection between the Templars and the Freemasons?
But the Scottish connection also, in some people’s minds, ties the Templars in with the Freemasons.
When did the Templars fall?
The fall of the chivalric order began with the mass arrests of French Templars on 13 October 1307 – an infamous date thought by some to have inspired the ‘Friday the 13th’ superstition. The knights were accused of idolatory, blasphemous rituals and sexual deviance, and the Grand Master of the Templars was among those who were burnt alive. The order was eventually extinguished in 1312 – many, many generations before the Freemasons emerged as a secret society of thinkers and influencers.
What was the order of the Knights extinguished?
The knights were accused of idolatory, blasphemous rituals and sexual deviance, and the Grand Master of the Templars was among those who were burnt alive. The order was eventually extinguished in 1312 – many, many generations before the Freemasons emerged as a secret society of thinkers and influencers.
What is the oldest Masonic lodge in the world?
Unlike Rosslyn, this structure did exist at the time of the Templars’ fall. Fascinatingly, Kilwinning is also home to Lodge Mother Kilwinning, reckoned to be the oldest Masonic lodge in the world. Kilwinning has therefore been identified as the place where Templars and operative masons potentially came into contact.
Where is Rosslyn Chapel in Da Vinci Code?
A particularly significant site for those who believe in the link is Rosslyn Chapel in Midlothian, known to millions as a key location in Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. The chapel is famed for its many intricate carvings, some apparently being Templar and Masonic symbols.
Where did the Templars find sanctuary?
Stories have persisted about these fleeing Templars finding sanctuary in Scotland, with some 18th Century Scots alleging that members of the order had brought secret treasure from the Holy Land with them. One such account came from a Scottish exile in Germany named George Frederick Johnson.
Did the Knights escape the savaging?
However, it’s been speculated that some of the knights escaped the savaging of their order to lay down roots elsewhere. Historians have mused over a tantalising confession given by one Templar, Jean de Chalon, who alleged that some members of the order in Paris were given word of the crackdown and managed to slip away on ships, to parts unknown.
What is the link between the Freemasons and the Knights Templar?
The linkage between the Freemasons and Knights Templar is difficult to prove but there’s no shortage of theories. One goes that after they were suppressed by Pope and the King of France , the Templars infiltrated stone mason guilds. These were then refashioned to embrace Templar ideals and rituals. In effect, the masons and Templars ...
Who were the Freemasons in the seventeenth century?
The website cites evidence of people becoming Freemasons throughout the seventeenth century such as a gentleman called Elias Ashmole in 1643. Then in the eighteenth century, grand lodges were formed in England, Ireland and Scotland and the order grew significantly to include top politicians and establishment figures. But as its lodges spread throughout government and business, the conspiracy theories proliferated.
What is the connection between the Holy Blood and the Holy Grail?
Holy Blood Holy Grail – and the Knights Templar – Freemasons connection. The authors of The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail in 1982 wrote about the alleged flight of Knights Templar to Scotland when the order was suppressed by the King of France in 1307, repeating an old claim that they participated in the Battle of Bannockburn against the English.
Where was the Templar graveyard found?
They claimed to have discovered “what seemed to be” a Templar graveyard in Argyllshire with 13th century Templar gravestones and eighteenth century Masonic gravestones. The authors asserted that the later stones had mixed motifs suggesting a fusion at some point between the Templars and Freemasons.
When did the Freemasons come to public view?
Freemasons came to full public view in 1717 with the foundation of the Grand Lodge of England . The organisation’s website traces the history of the order back to the stone masons of the Middle Ages who built Europe’s great cathedrals and not to the Knights Templar.
Who was the Freemasons in Born in Blood?
John Robinson’ s 1989 book Born in Blood claimed that Knights Templar fleeing arrest and torture in England and Scotland formed a secret society of mutual protection that eventually revealed itself as the Freemasons.
Who was the founder of the Rite of Strict Observance?
The prominent eighteenth century Freemason Baron Karl Gotthelf von Hund was forever hammering home the link between masonry and the Templars. The baron founded The Rite of Strict Observance within Freemasonry, as series of degrees through which members would pass including the degree of “knight”.
How to become a Knight Templar?
To become a (Masonic) Knight Templar, one must first be a Master Mason, then a Royal Arch Mason, first. Please note that there is no conclusive evidence of any factual connection between the historic Poor Fellow Knights of Christ of the Temple of Solomon (Knights Templar) and Freemasonry.
How long do you have to be a Master Mason to join the Blue Lodge?
All bodies are connected through the Blue Lodge; you have to be a Master Mason in good standing (sometimes for a period of months) before you can join other appendant bodies.
What is a Shriners club?
The Shriners are a social club, which was founded by Masons as a way to get together with less ceremony than a formal Masonic meeting. However, after a few decades, the Shriners got bored of just getting together to hang out, so they decid
What degree do you have to be to be a shriner?
In the past, to become a Shriner, one had to be either a (Masonic) Knight Templar or a 32nd degree Scottish Rite Mason (or both). This has changed and now in most jurisdictions one has to be a Master Mason to join the Shrine.
Is every Templar a Mason?
That is the relationship between those two organization and Masonry. Every Shriner and every Templar is a Mason, but not all Masons are either of those.
What is the base of the organization where the first three degrees are conferred?
The Lodge is the base of the organization where the first three degrees are conferred.
Is there an appendant body of masonry?
There are several appendant bodies of masonry. It is not necessary to enter these extra entities of masonry but they are there to further enlightenment and include the family.
Where did the Knights Templar originate?
In 1779 the High Knights Templar of Ireland Lodge, Kilwinning, obtained a charter from Lodge Mother Kilwinning in Scotland. This lodge now began to grant dispensations to other lodges to confer the Knights Templar Degree. Some time around 1790 the Early Grand Encampment of Ireland was formed, which began to warrant Templar Lodges, and evolved into the Supreme Grand Encampment in 1836. The Early Grand Encampment chartered several Scottish "encampments" one of which, having been chartered in 1805 as the "Edinburgh Encampment No. 31", then became the"Grand Assembly of Knights Templar in Edinburgh". who then sought a charter from the Duke of Kent, Grand Master of the Order in England. It seems that the Templar degree had filtered into the lodges of the Antients from Ireland about 1780, and was recorded at York about the same time. In the five degree system developed by the York Masons, the Knights Templar degree sat between the Master Mason and the Sublime Degree of Royal Arch.
What is the Knights of the Temple?
The Knights Templar, full name The United Religious, Military and Masonic Orders of the Temple and of St John of Jerusalem, Palestine, Rhodes and Malta, is a fraternal order affiliated with Freemasonry. Unlike the initial degrees conferred in a regular Masonic Lodge, which (in most Regular Masonic jurisdictions) only require a belief in a Supreme Being regardless of religious affiliation, the Knights Templar is one of several additional Masonic Orders in which membership is open only to Freemasons who profess a belief in Christianity. One of the obligations entrants to the order are required to declare is to protect and defend the Christian faith. The word "United" in its full title indicates that more than one historical tradition and more than one actual order are jointly controlled within this system. The individual orders 'united' within this system are principally the Knights of the Temple (Knights Templar), the Knights of Malta, the Knights of St Paul, and only within the York Rite, the Knights of the Red Cross.
How did Freemasonry come about?
This claimed that European Freemasonry came about from an interaction between crusader masons and the Knights Hospitaller. This is repeated in the earliest known " Moderns " ritual, the Berne manuscript, written in French between 1740 and 1744. Ramsay was initiated as a Templar by his mentor François Fénelon into the non-Masonic French Ordre du Temple with his friend Philippe II, Duke of Orleans as Grandmaster around 1710. After the death of Fenelon and the Duke of Orleans, Ramsay was initiated into Freemasonry around 1730. Since Ramsay's Templarism predated his relationship with Freemasonry by some 20 years, this is the likely source for the introduction of Templarism into Freemasonry.
Where is the Great Priory of England and Wales?
In England and Wales, the "Great Priory of England and Wales" for the Masonic Knights Templar is administrated from Mark Masons' Hall, London .
What are the local bodies of the Knights of Malta called?
Local bodies of Knights Templar are known as Preceptories; local bodies of Knights of St Paul are known as Chapters; local bodies of Knights of Malta are known as Priories; all operate under a Grand or Great Priory, often with an intermediate level of Provincial Priories.
What does the cross and crown represent?
A cross and crown laid upon a cross pattée inscribed with " In Hoc Signo Vinces " resting upon downward pointing swords in saltire is often used to represent the Knights Templar. ( The various symbols used allude to the orders of the body, though the cross and crown is often used alone as well.) ...
Where is the Knight of Malta?
The Degree of Knight of Malta (Order of Malta) In England and Wales, the "Great Priory of England and Wales " for the Masonic Knights Templar is administrated from Mark Masons' Hall, London .

The Separate Fraternity Inspired by Founding Support from Templar Chivalry
An Objective Context of Authentic Freemasonry
- The teachings and traditions of Freemasonry are essentially comprised of symbolism, allegory and metaphor inspired by the ancient construction of the Temple of Solomon, which is applied as an esoteric representation for principles of personal transformation. Additionally, the concept of stonemasonry itself is considered symbolic of an intended stewardship role as “architects of soci…
Rosslyn Chapel – Templar Commandery Which Created Freemasonry
- Rosslyn Chapel in Edinburgh, Scotland, is famous as a “Templar” structure, although there has been some confusion as to whether it was from hereditary Templars descendant from the original Order, or whether it was solely “Masonic”. That issue is resolved by a factual balance, that its design and construction by the surviving Knights Templar was precisely the historical event that …
Kirkwall Scroll – Evidence of Masonic Independence & Protection of Templars
- One important artifact in the historical record, called the “Kirkwall Scroll”, highlights that Freemasonry was a new and unique offshoot based upon the knowledge and mentorship of the Knights Templar, yet entirely separate and developing in its own independent direction. The Kirkwall Scroll is a historical document, hanging on display in the Masoni...
Freemasonic Perception of The Order of The Temple of Solomon
- A classic painting, which is famous in Masonic fraternity circles, was published in Life Magazine on 08 October 1956, illustrating an article called “The Structure of Freemasonry”. This modern artistic work best expressed – in the simplest form of visual reference – the full complexity of the organizational structure of Freemasonry. Perhaps most significantly, or at least most relevant to …
Invitation to The New Renaissance of The Modern Era
- Numerous Freemasons around the world have mentioned, or at least heard rumours about, the existence of coveted, exclusive, secret “above 33rd degree” levels. However, authentic Freemasonry has only 33 degrees, and Masonry itself is not secret, as the complete libraries of its teachings are openly published in bookstores worldwide. Therefore, by definition, anything supp…
Academic Source References For This Topic
- John Yarker, The Arcane Schools, Manchester (1909), pp.341-342. Donald G. Campbell, Committee on Ritual, Handbook for Candidate’s Coaches, Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, California (2007), “The Master Mason: Irregular and Clandestine Lodges”. John Hamill & Robert Gilbert, Freemasonry, Angus (2004), Glossary, p.247. Alan Butler and Stephen Dafoe, T…