At the risk of appearing overly literal, it is perhaps worth stating the obvious – that a secret satanic cult requires, above all else… secrecy.
But the Templars were never an enclosed order, secretive and shut off from society as a whole. Even as third-party witnesses condemned the Templars for being secretive, the context of their testimony often made it clear that the order was well integrated within most echelons of society. Witness statements demonstrated that outsiders were regularly invited into Templar houses and chapels, and that the brothers were happy to chat, gossip or to engage in business just like other men of their class.
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Testimonies at the trials demonstrate that, far from being secretive, the Templars were in close contact with other parts of society and led a far more sociable existence than one might expect from monks.
Even today, Templar sites in Britain tend to have public rights of way, often very ancient routes, running through them – these were not isolated or secretive places. We know from the trial testimonies and later legal documents that outsiders such as other members of the local community and servants could attend mass at the New Temple and that a public right of way existed through the middle of the precinct and down to the River Thames.
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This right of way, which was said to have existed ‘for time out of mind,’ was not just used by pedestrians but also for transporting goods ‘by wains, horses and otherwise.’ It is evident that even the supposedly most secure and private site owned by the order, their headquarters in Britain, had what was, in effect, a public road running through the middle of it. This level of public access is corroborated by other evidence given in the trials. One witness statement given with regards to the Templar commandery at Sandford, for example, makes clear that non-Templars were allowed into the order’s chapel there, and were only prohibited from doing so on special occasions. Perhaps even more surprisingly, there is also evidence that outsiders were occasionally even allowed to attend full chapter meetings, including sessions in London, at the New Temple, and in Paris.
Another incriminating aspect of the supposedly covert nature of the order was the accusation that admission to the Templars was a secretive affair – primarily because this was imagined to be the moment when devout and enthusiastic volunteers would be introduced to the idea that the order was just a front for satanic worship.
The Temple Church in London – Cathedrals, abbeys and churches of England and Wales – descriptive, historical, pictorial (1890)
The accusation is absurd on many levels. Far from being secretive, the evidence suggests quite the opposite – admissions ceremonies seem to have been joyful family celebrations rather than sinister occult occasions. In Britain admission to the Templars seems to have taken the form of an initial service in a public area, in which the volunteer’s friends and family could participate, and then concluded with vows being taken in a more private ceremony in the adjacent chapel – presumably followed by celebrations and farewells attended by well-wishers.
Significantly, the responsibility for closing the doors to the chapel for the second (‘secretive’) part of the ceremony was given to an individual who held the office of ‘claviger’ (literally, a key holder). But we know that even the claviger was an outsider. One previous holder of the office, Hugh of Tadcaster, explicitly mentioned that he had held the position before he had become a brother knight. And at the Templar commandery in Faxfleet, for instance, a local friar explained that he and other people (probably the proud members of the initiates’ families) were waiting out in the hall next to the chapel during admission, before all going in together to celebrate mass. These affairs were celebrations rather than dark introductions into a world of profoundly shocking heresy and satanism.
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Heretics and Satan Worshippers?
The most headline-grabbing charges laid against the Templars (and one of the reasons why they continue to feature strongly in the highly competitive world of modern conspiracy theories) were the accusations that instead of being brave and orthodox monks, they were instead devil worshippers and heretics of the most shocking kind.
But perhaps the most stunning proof of Templar innocence is the biggest single piece of evidence that was not produced at the trial – the inventory of goods owned by the order. Ironically, the most spectacular evidence in the suppression of the Templars was never produced in court, precisely because it was so compelling.
On the day that the order was dissolved in France, an inventory was ordered to be made of all their possessions. The brothers had, of course, no warning of their impending suppression or that the inventory was going to take place. Any idols they possessed would still be in their treasuries and chapels. All the other items used for their satanic practices would similarly be in situ. And, of course, there would be a marked lack of standard Christian symbolism and treasured items.
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Circular wax cast of a Bristol Templar seal produced between 1850 and 1915 taken from a 13th century seal matrix. Image from The Museum of the Order of St. John and the University of Birmingham / Wikimedia Commons
The motive for creating an inventory was partly financial in nature – it was going to be a register of the financial windfall that Philip the Fair hoped to make. But it was also going to provide incontrovertible evidence at the trial – the satanic practices of the order would be on display, their idols would be there for all to see, and their heresy would be proved beyond doubt.
Except it never worked out that way. The inventories were thorough – fastidiously so. But they were never brought forward at the trial. Why, given the compelling and very tangible nature of the evidence they provided, was this not so?
The inventory began in the King of France’s lands on October 13, 1307, immediately after the order had been suppressed. The Templars had no time to destroy any of their secret statues or idols – surprise was total.
Many of the inquests and searches which eventually produced the inventories started, not surprisingly, in the chapels of each of the local Templar commanderies – this was where the valuables were kept. But the inquisitors also wanted to be sure to capture all the important evidence first – it was here, at the site of their supposed religious crimes, that they thought the most incriminating evidence would be found.
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The inventories were ordered to be completed on the same day as the arrests. This was not always possible, as it often took longer than a single day to complete, but the element of surprise was important, and was generally achieved. All the buildings and rooms were listed, together with – importantly – all of the movable goods within them.
But the results were hugely disappointing for the inquisitors. There were many liturgical books, but all of them were orthodox—surprisingly, if the charges were true, there was no hint in writing of any satanic worship. There were crosses – large and small, precious and valueless – but again, all were normal items of Christian devotion. Interestingly, all the crosses were in suspiciously good condition. This was a particularly embarrassing finding given that new entrants to the order were supposedly forced to trample on the crucifix and then urinate on it. There were relics and precious reliquaries to put them in. There were many images of the Virgin Mary.
But what was missing from the inventories – and this was why they were never produced as evidence in the French courts – were idols of any kind. Nothing resembling the pagan idols of ‘Maguineth’ or ‘Baphomet’ could be found – because they did not exist.
Evidence of satanic worship in Britain was even more slight. In the absence of torture, the brothers confessed to nothing, and smearing the order was left to the hearsay of third parties. And the meticulous catalogues of possessions reveal nothing more than the pious reliquaries and devotional aids one would expect to find in a less bookish holy order.
Dr Steve Tibble is a graduate of Jesus College, Cambridge and London University. He is an Honorary Research Associate at Royal Holloway College, University of London. Steve is a leading authority on warfare and violence in the crusading era.
By Steve Tibble
At the risk of appearing overly literal, it is perhaps worth stating the obvious – that a secret satanic cult requires, above all else… secrecy.
But the Templars were never an enclosed order, secretive and shut off from society as a whole. Even as third-party witnesses condemned the Templars for being secretive, the context of their testimony often made it clear that the order was well integrated within most echelons of society. Witness statements demonstrated that outsiders were regularly invited into Templar houses and chapels, and that the brothers were happy to chat, gossip or to engage in business just like other men of their class.
Testimonies at the trials demonstrate that, far from being secretive, the Templars were in close contact with other parts of society and led a far more sociable existence than one might expect from monks.
Even today, Templar sites in Britain tend to have public rights of way, often very ancient routes, running through them – these were not isolated or secretive places. We know from the trial testimonies and later legal documents that outsiders such as other members of the local community and servants could attend mass at the New Temple and that a public right of way existed through the middle of the precinct and down to the River Thames.
This right of way, which was said to have existed ‘for time out of mind,’ was not just used by pedestrians but also for transporting goods ‘by wains, horses and otherwise.’ It is evident that even the supposedly most secure and private site owned by the order, their headquarters in Britain, had what was, in effect, a public road running through the middle of it. This level of public access is corroborated by other evidence given in the trials. One witness statement given with regards to the Templar commandery at Sandford, for example, makes clear that non-Templars were allowed into the order’s chapel there, and were only prohibited from doing so on special occasions. Perhaps even more surprisingly, there is also evidence that outsiders were occasionally even allowed to attend full chapter meetings, including sessions in London, at the New Temple, and in Paris.
Another incriminating aspect of the supposedly covert nature of the order was the accusation that admission to the Templars was a secretive affair – primarily because this was imagined to be the moment when devout and enthusiastic volunteers would be introduced to the idea that the order was just a front for satanic worship.
The accusation is absurd on many levels. Far from being secretive, the evidence suggests quite the opposite – admissions ceremonies seem to have been joyful family celebrations rather than sinister occult occasions. In Britain admission to the Templars seems to have taken the form of an initial service in a public area, in which the volunteer’s friends and family could participate, and then concluded with vows being taken in a more private ceremony in the adjacent chapel – presumably followed by celebrations and farewells attended by well-wishers.
Significantly, the responsibility for closing the doors to the chapel for the second (‘secretive’) part of the ceremony was given to an individual who held the office of ‘claviger’ (literally, a key holder). But we know that even the claviger was an outsider. One previous holder of the office, Hugh of Tadcaster, explicitly mentioned that he had held the position before he had become a brother knight. And at the Templar commandery in Faxfleet, for instance, a local friar explained that he and other people (probably the proud members of the initiates’ families) were waiting out in the hall next to the chapel during admission, before all going in together to celebrate mass. These affairs were celebrations rather than dark introductions into a world of profoundly shocking heresy and satanism.
Heretics and Satan Worshippers?
The most headline-grabbing charges laid against the Templars (and one of the reasons why they continue to feature strongly in the highly competitive world of modern conspiracy theories) were the accusations that instead of being brave and orthodox monks, they were instead devil worshippers and heretics of the most shocking kind.
But perhaps the most stunning proof of Templar innocence is the biggest single piece of evidence that was not produced at the trial – the inventory of goods owned by the order. Ironically, the most spectacular evidence in the suppression of the Templars was never produced in court, precisely because it was so compelling.
On the day that the order was dissolved in France, an inventory was ordered to be made of all their possessions. The brothers had, of course, no warning of their impending suppression or that the inventory was going to take place. Any idols they possessed would still be in their treasuries and chapels. All the other items used for their satanic practices would similarly be in situ. And, of course, there would be a marked lack of standard Christian symbolism and treasured items.
The motive for creating an inventory was partly financial in nature – it was going to be a register of the financial windfall that Philip the Fair hoped to make. But it was also going to provide incontrovertible evidence at the trial – the satanic practices of the order would be on display, their idols would be there for all to see, and their heresy would be proved beyond doubt.
Except it never worked out that way. The inventories were thorough – fastidiously so. But they were never brought forward at the trial. Why, given the compelling and very tangible nature of the evidence they provided, was this not so?
The inventory began in the King of France’s lands on October 13, 1307, immediately after the order had been suppressed. The Templars had no time to destroy any of their secret statues or idols – surprise was total.
Many of the inquests and searches which eventually produced the inventories started, not surprisingly, in the chapels of each of the local Templar commanderies – this was where the valuables were kept. But the inquisitors also wanted to be sure to capture all the important evidence first – it was here, at the site of their supposed religious crimes, that they thought the most incriminating evidence would be found.
The inventories were ordered to be completed on the same day as the arrests. This was not always possible, as it often took longer than a single day to complete, but the element of surprise was important, and was generally achieved. All the buildings and rooms were listed, together with – importantly – all of the movable goods within them.
But the results were hugely disappointing for the inquisitors. There were many liturgical books, but all of them were orthodox—surprisingly, if the charges were true, there was no hint in writing of any satanic worship. There were crosses – large and small, precious and valueless – but again, all were normal items of Christian devotion. Interestingly, all the crosses were in suspiciously good condition. This was a particularly embarrassing finding given that new entrants to the order were supposedly forced to trample on the crucifix and then urinate on it. There were relics and precious reliquaries to put them in. There were many images of the Virgin Mary.
But what was missing from the inventories – and this was why they were never produced as evidence in the French courts – were idols of any kind. Nothing resembling the pagan idols of ‘Maguineth’ or ‘Baphomet’ could be found – because they did not exist.
Evidence of satanic worship in Britain was even more slight. In the absence of torture, the brothers confessed to nothing, and smearing the order was left to the hearsay of third parties. And the meticulous catalogues of possessions reveal nothing more than the pious reliquaries and devotional aids one would expect to find in a less bookish holy order.
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Dr Steve Tibble is a graduate of Jesus College, Cambridge and London University. He is an Honorary Research Associate at Royal Holloway College, University of London. Steve is a leading authority on warfare and violence in the crusading era.
You can check out Steve’s other books: Crusader Criminals, The Crusader Armies and The Crusader Strategy
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