subject: The Knights Templar Enigma [print this page] The Knights Templar Enigma The Knights Templar Enigma
The tale of the Knights Templar is surrounded by intrigue and secrecy. They rose to almost unassailable might and wealth from their genesis in the First Crusade. For nearly two hundred years they dominated medieval Europe only to be suddenly and dramatically eradicated. Those who had ordered their extermination, following accusations of depravity and heresy, believed that was their end. But were they in fact wiped out? There is some evidence that they managed to continue secretly.
The last three hundred years have seen the Knights Templar story linked to many features that lie at the core of the western esoteric tradition. On many occasions they have been associated with concealed or lost knowledge and secret societies, areas which are often referred to, sometimes in a derogatory manner, as the occult. A few of the more famous historical enigmas that are repeatedly thrown into this mix are the Turin Shroud, the Holy Grail and the Ark of the Covenant, all of which are said to have links back to the Knights Templar.
The majority of historians do not agree with the idea that the Knights Templar continued as an effective organisation for very long beyond the day their destruction was ordered. Their doubts are in many respects justified. This is because claims about the Knights Templar are abundant in modern times and many of these, although not all, are utter rubbish.
With so many open questions about their deeds and history it is very easy for people to link the Knights Templar with events or historical enigmas that they in fact had nothing to do with at all. Gathering all of the facts about the Knights Templar is therefore a very demanding task especially when the remoteness in time and the Order's obsession with secrecy are added. With such a lack of available information it's easy to assume they had a hidden agenda.
The researchers at Temple of Mysteries have performed extensive investigations into the Knights Templar enigma and their place in the development of European history. There are many sites that are known to be Knights Templar in origin, or are believed to be so, that we have explored or plan to do so in the future. The Knights Templar sites range from their great bastions in the Middle East, to Northern Europe and on the their Scottish headquarters.
