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One thing the armed forces and the Church have in common is a love of
symbolism, and of insignia with symbolic importance. This is true today
and was ever so, and it was so particularly in the Middle Ages. It would
hardly seem surprising, therefore if the Military Orders, who were at
once soldiers and monks, should have developed various devises to identify
themselves and to express or hint at what they stood for. Such symbols
appeared on the Templars' clothing, shields and equipment, on their flags,
on their buildings, on their tombs and in their manuscripts. The carvings
in various castle dungeons- where the last of the Templars awaited their
dark fate- also take the form of symbols and are relevant to the matter
of Templar iconography, and to what motivated the mysterious brethren.
There is much confusion and myth associated with the iconography used
by the Templars, with some symbols being popularly associated with them
that they in fact never used, and some that they did use being generally
overlooked. My intention here will be to shed some light on the matter,
and to redress some misconceptions.
Pal Ritook, in a 1992 article entitled 'Templar Architecture in England'
touched on the matter of symbolism. Ritook wondered if there was any specifically
Templar iconography to be found in the decoration of Templar buildings.
Ritook highlighted various problems here, particularly with correctly
identifying given carvings as Templar, and being of the right date.
There seem to be a profusion of carved grotesques, 'green man' and animal
heads found in Templar churches (often forming corbels or bosses). London's
Temple Church has curious animal, human and demon heads spaced around
its internal arcade and green-man heads sprouting foliage from their mouths
above its original entrance, on the exterior. Another 'green man' head,
this one with horns, may be found on the chancel arch of Temple Garway
church (see illustration 'S'). Carved heads may also be found at Temple
Bruer and Temple Guiting, and on many Templar churches on the continent.
However, these are by no means rare on non-Templar buildings of the Romanesque
and early Gothic era. Identifying them with particular Templar ideas or
with the charges of heretical head worship is therefore difficult.
Ritook, touching on the Templar Cross, found this symbol 'regrettably
not peculiar to the Templars', and that it is difficult to distinguish
between crosses used by the Templars and other monastic communities. I
would agree with this. The croix pattee, with flaring arms of equal length,
the same type as the German 'Iron Cross' (illustration 'A') was a characteristic
symbol, but not unique to the Order, much as round churches were a characteristic
but not uniquely Templar architectural form. Pope Eugenius III granted
the Templars the privilege of wearing a red cross on their white mantles
or cloaks on the eve of the Second Crusade, but the exact type of cross
was not stipulated. Some 13th century images of Templars, for example
tomb figures from Italy, and a carving from Villasirpa, Palencia, show
the brothers in their monastic dress. They white cloaks over long, darker
coloured robes. On the left shoulder of the cloak is a simple cross with
straight arms of equal length (Greek cross- illustration 'B'). The colour
white is said to stand for purity, the red for martyrdom. Sergeants, lower
class members of the Order, must have been deemed less pure than the more
aristocratic brethren, in that case, as they wore black or brown instead.
(The Templar knights were protective about their white finery, and resented
the offshoot Order the Teutonic Knights adopting the same dress, albeit
with a black cross instead of red). The Templars themselves do not seem
to have developed a system of insignia of rank, but their Grand Master
was identified by the ceremonial staff he carried, called a baculus, which
was crapped by a cross within a disk (illustration 'N').
The Templars adopted the line from the psalms 'not unto us o lord, but
to thy name goes the glory' as their battle cry. Their war banner was
called 'beauseant', which meant piebald (two coloured) but may also have
been a deliberate play-on-words with the rousing instruction 'be fine'.
The flag was black and white (illustration 'G'). An illustration of beauseant
by the monk Matthew Paris of St Albans, in his chronicle, shows it as
being divided horizontally, with the white lower section being greater
in area than the black upper section. The black and white colours supposedly
referred to the two faces of the Order- terrible avengers to the enemies
of Christianity, gentle protectors to the faithful. Elsewhere in Paris's
work (which makes numerous references to the Templars, including their
conduct during the Seventh Crusade) a depiction of two Templar knights
shows them bearing a similar design on their shields, which are both white
below with a black upper part (illustration 'C'). The implication is that
all Templars carried this design on their shields, instead of the red
cross of St George, which is generally attributed to them (illustration
E). However, not all contemporary images agree. A Templar depicted in
a fresco in the church of San Bevignate, Perugia, Italy, is shown carrying
a shield which is black below and white above, with a small cross in the
upper section (illustration 'D'). The livery of the warhorses ridden by
other knights in the fresco echo this design. Riding in their chain-mail,
with their striking livery of black white and red, the Templars must have
been an impressive and distinctive sight in battle order. Their counterparts
the Knights Hospitaller appeared almost as their negatives, in black mantles
with white crosses (in later days the Hospitallers used the eight pointed
cross which became known as the Maltese Cross). The Hospitallers' banner
was a red flag with an ordinary white cross. Both brotherhoods were forbidden
from retreating from a battlefield while these banners flew, and if one
of the Orders' flags was lost the knights were expected to rally to the
other (unfortunately in the last days of the Crusades, relations between
the two Orders were to deteriorate).
Both Orders were devoted to the Virgin Mary and to John the Baptist, and
occasionally used the head of the latter as a symbol. The Templars also
venerated St Catherine and St George. The Lamb of God (Agnus Dei) was
another symbol favoured by both Military Orders. It represented the martyred
Christ, and sacrifice. It holds a banner bearing a cross. In London, carvings
of the lamb can be seen on St John's gate, which is all that remains of
the Hospitallers' old HQ in Clerkenwell. It can also be seen around the
Inns of Court, off the Strand, where the law society of the Middle Temple
inherited the lamb device from the Templars, along with as the premises
(which had formerly been the Templars' British HQ). The other legal society
using the site, the Inner Temple, adopted the winged horse Pegasus as
its arms, possibly taken from a badly drawn or weathered image of the
two riders.
Most important people in medieval times, including the heads of religious
orders, had a personal steal. This was a mould, usually round and resembling
a coin, for leaving an impression in wax or lead, which was attached to
official documents for purposes of validation and authentication. The
Templars' official seal was kept in a safe at their head quarters in Jerusalem,
which, it is said, could only be accessed by three keys-held by the Grand
Master and two high officials.
The device of two knights on a single horse was the nearest thing to
an exclusively Templar symbol, which appeared on various versions of the
Order's official seal (illustration 'I'). The seal was changed with minor
variations for every new Grand Master. The earliest known version of the
two riders motif is that of the Grand Master Bertrand de Blanchefort,
dating from about 1158. The meaning of the emblem is unclear, but could
refer to the dual function of the order- religious and military. It could
also hint at the Templars' duty to support their needy brothers. (Templars
did not actually have to share horses, and would hardly have been an effective
cavalry force if they had! The rule in fact stated that each knight should
have three horses, a warhorse, one for general transport and a spare.)
Blanchefort's seal was encircled by Latin script reading 'Sigillum militum',
on the front, with 'Christi de Templo' on the reverse (Seal of the soldiery
of Christ and the Temple). A later version, the seal of Reginald de Vichier,
read 'Sigillum militum xpisti'. This is unusual- the first letters of
Chris's name are replaced with the Greek 'PX' (Chi-rho). This monogram
was a common symbol of the Eastern Church, and was also used by the Templars
(illustration 'J'). It appears several times in the decorations of the
Commandery church of Montsaunes in southern France for example.
Jerusalem was the Templars' original reason for being- defending both
the Crusader state and the pilgrim traffic to the holy places. They were
proud of their connection with both the Holy Sepulchre (where they were
consecrated) and the Temple of Solomon, (where they resided throughout
most of the 12th century, between their founding soon after the First
Crusade and their eviction just before the Third). A domed building frequently
appears on the reverse side of the Templars' official seal, with a cross
at its apex (illustration 'H'). This appears to be the Dome of the Rock
Mosque, converted into a church. This building would be influential on
Templar architecture.
The masters of provincial Templar Commanderies also came to issue their
own seals, incorporating various Templar symbols. The 'Agnus Dei' was
used by several Masters of England, for example and also by the Master
of Provence. Some believe that as well as its conventional interpretation
as a symbol of Christ, the 'Agnus' was chosen because of the word's relation
to the Latin 'Agnito' meaning wisdom.
The Templars were brought down amid allegations that they practiced heretical
worship of a severed head. The image of a bearded head (possibly that
of Jesus or John the Baptist) was found on a board hidden in a medieval
cottage's wall in the Templar village of Templecombe in the West Country
(illustration 'R'). Bearded heads also appear on the seals of two Templar
Masters of Germany, including one of a Bro. Widekind. However, Hospitaller
seals also show similar heads, and the Hospitallers were never accused
of unchristian worship, so it is hard to say how incriminating this evidence
is. The seals of other provincial Templar masters have been found to include
many other symbols. These include combinations of crosses and fleurs-de-lis
in various configurations, while castle towers, eagles, griffins, doves,
horses and single mounted knights are also not unknown. The star and the
crescent moon also appear. A late seal of the Templar from England shows
a lion stood below a crescent moon and a cross, between two six pointed
stars (illustration 'U'). Some have been tempted to see the moon as relating
to goddess worship or to Islamic influence, but this is pure conjecture,
it seems to me.
There is no direct evidence of the Templars using the six-pointed Star
of David (alternatively called the Seal of Solomon), now thought of primarily
as a Jewish symbol (illustration 'P'). However, it can be traced in the
plan of the round churches the order built, with six columns supporting
the central part. One such building, TempleChurch, still stands in London,
and an almost identical building once stood at the heart of the Paris
Temple, the Templars HQ in Europe. A similar six-pointed design also appears
repeatedly in the decorations of Montsaunes (illustration 'O'). It resembles
six petals within a circle, and is a symbol linked with the Cistercians,
the white monks who fostered the original Templars. As for the pentagram,
now thought of as an occult symbol, there is little evidence of the Templars
using it, although it is apparently to be found on graves at the Templar
base in Tomar in Portugal. It was also a common stonemason's mark at the
time, and the Templars were known to have had mason brethren (illustration
'Q').
Some of the abstract designs at Montsaunes may hint at the Templars having
knowledge of and interest in the Cabbala, and have been interpreted as
illustrations of the sepiroth spheres. If the Templars did have a propensity
for such mysticism, they would have had to investigate it in secret to
avoid suspicion of heresy. The issue of whether there was a secret group
within the Templars, which diverged from Catholic Orthodoxy, is for me
still an open question. An intriguing hint that this might be the case
is a seal bearing the image of the Abraxas (illustration 'T'). Around
it is the legend 'Templi Secretum.' The Abraxas is a curious image, a
warrior with a cockerel's head and snakes for legs. He holds a round shield
and a flail whip, supposedly representing wisdom and strength. Abraxas
stones were apparently used in as magical charms by the Gnostic sects
in the first centuries after Christ. ('Abraxas' may be the root of the
magic word 'Abracadabra!') Abraxas images were used by the Basilidean
sect of Alexandria, who were condemned as heretics by the early fathers
of the Catholic Church. Abraxas is said to have represented the supreme
deity, from whom emanated the angels, one of which, as the Gnostics thought,
was the flawed Jehovah who created the material world. Obviously to medieval
Catholics this would have all seemed the worst sort of heresy, and the
chimera-like image would have appeared bizarre and demonic. Whether the
Templars knew the true meaning of the Abraxas, or merely used it as a
heraldic device, is hard to assess. Clearly the majority of the Order
remained loyal to the Catholic Church, and many shed their blood in defense
of the medieval Catholic version of True Religion. There may, though,
have been an inner core, the 'Templi Secretum', that was informed by Cabbalistic,
Cathar and Gnostic ideas.
For most knights, the Order Temple offered a viable path to salvation
in warfare for Christ. It seem that belonging to the Templars meant being
separated from the world, and most knights seem to have forsaken their
secular identities, and with it their family heraldry. Belonging to the
Order was a higher honour. Many Templar graves do not carry effigies,
coats of arms or inscriptions. A device which frequently takes their place
is an elongated cross with a stepped base. Sometimes the cross reflects
the Grand Master's baculus (illustration 'M'). One such survives propped
within the porch of a later church at Newent in Gloucestershire. Sometimes,
though, the circular part at the head contains a flowery cross, with eight
arms like spokes finishing in fleurs-de-lis (illustration 'L'). Often
swords are carved alongside the cross, and sometimes tools testifying
to the craft or the deceased are also shown.
A cross with a stepped base is called a Calvary Cross (illustration 'K').
A strange thing is that in many castle dungeons where the last Templars
were imprisoned, similar Calvary Crosses can be seen carved into the walls.
It is hard to see how these prisoners could have been in contact with
each other, and it seems almost as though there was some pre-arranged
plan for the Templars to leave these carvings as a marker of their presence.
Such crosses can be seen in castles at Chinon in France, and at Warwick
and Lincoln in England. Stepped based crosses are familiar from Templar
graves, and it seem somehow fitting that the last Templars should have
carved these crosses in their bleak prisons, just as their Order itself
was dying. Perhaps they drew some comfort from them. Perhaps they identified
with Christ, martyred at Calvary in the lost Holy Land.
I have mentioned most of the symbols that there is evidence for the Templars
having used. Curiously, given their association with the Temple of Solomon,
they do not seem to have used the Ark of the Covenant as a symbol. This
suggests that they did not find the relic, despite what some would like
to think, and may never have been particularly interested in it. Likewise,
despite the later myths portraying the Templars as Grail knights, the
Templars do not seem to have often used the symbol of the chalice (that
is unless the elongated crosses with round heads and stepped bases on
the tombs can be interpreted as abstracted chalices, which is not an idea
I find very convincing). So despite the Templars having common patrons
with the authors of the Grail romances, there is not much evidence of
links between the two.
At some of the heresy trials, the idol allegedly worshipped by the Templars
was named as Baphomet. Since the 19th century this has been associated
with the goat-headed creature dreamed up by occult fantasist Elephas Livi.
This devilish image has little similarity with any real Templar imagery.
Neo-Templar groups have also introduced imagery that the historical Templars
never seem to have used. For a start the eight-pointed cross of the Knights
of Malta is often erroneously worn where a Templar would have worn the
Greek or pattee cross. Certain symbols commonly used within freemasonic
rites have also been suggested as Templar in origin when this does not
seem to be verifiable. The skull and crossed bones, for example. I have
never been able to find a Templar artifact bearing this device. The closest
things are the 12 green man heads at TempleChurch, with four stalks of
foliage coming out of their mouths in 'X' shapes. These are badly weathered
and could at first glance be confused for the skull and crossed bones
symbol. The Templars did not use such grim imagery, though. Skulls and
bones were seldom used in Church decoration before the time of the Black
Death. It has also been alleged (by authors such as Andrew Sinclair and
Keith Laidler) that the Templars were ritually dismembered after death
and buried with their legs crossed over the torso and the head placed
above. This idea is unfounded, and, as far as I can ascertain, Templar
burial rituals were completely orthodox. (The story of the 'Skull of Sidon'
introduced into the mix during the Trials, does not seem relevant to Templar
beliefs or practices either.)
Masonic 'Knights Templar' in the US use the symbol of a Latin cross within
a crown, but the historical Templars did not use this symbol either. Neither
did they use the interlinked square and compass, (though some medieval
images do show God as the divine architect, holding compasses, and some
allegedly Templar graves appear to show set squares and what may be compasses
or shears, as well as other tools such as mallets). The Templars do not
either seem to have used the symbol of a triangle/pyramid with an eye
at the centre (so beloved of conspiracy theorists, who link it to the
'Illuminati'). The earliest examples of this 'all seeing eye' symbol,
that I can find, come from the late renaissance. They are quite common
in baroque Catholic Churches, but absent from medieval Templar ones. That
said, the pyramid-like stepped base of the Templars' calvary cross just
could be a progenitor of this image.
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