The Knights Templar greatly revered Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary, who was considered the Order’s patroness. Bernard the Clairvaux, the spiritual godfather of the Knights Templar, was a one of the most devout Marianists in the history of the Catholic Church. It is no coincidence that the Knights’ Templar prayers during their imprisonment contained the words “May Mary, Star of the Sea, lead us to the harbor of salvation.”
Salve Regina is an 11th century hymn, most likely composed by Hermann of Reichenau. Although this hymn was never exclusively “Templar,” there are reasons to believe that it was favored by the Knights. First stanza of the hymn:
- Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiæ,
- vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.
- ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevæ,
- ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
- in hac lacrimarum valle.
- Translation:
- Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,
our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve;
to thee do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.P.S. There is a three-disc album entitled Music from the Time of the Templars.
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Very interesting documentary…I hope and pray that the truth will prevail…May the Great Architect of the Universe will shed the truth to all mankind…
SO.MOTE.IT.BE….
The COMPLETE prayer, from the 12th century:
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,
our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve;
to thee do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this valley (or “vale”) of tears.
Turn then most gracious advocate thine eyes of mercy towards us,
And after this, our exile, show unto is the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Oh clement, oh loving, oh sweet Virgin Mary!
Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiæ,
vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.
Ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevæ,
Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
in hac lacrimarum valle.
Eia, ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos
misericordes oculos ad nos converte;
Et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,
nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.
O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.
thid prayer is very close to my heart, I grew up with it in Irish Catholism we always chanted it in Novenas and particularly during the month when we prayed for the Holy souls.
I never knew it was Templar.
Hi Kenneth – the Salve Regina was used by the Templars, but it wasn’t a “Templar prayer” originally. It was written down in its current form at a Cistercian abbey in France in the 12th century. The Templars were influenced by the Cistercians. Hugues de Payens was a friend of Bernard of Clairvaux, and Bernard, later to be called St. Bernard, was greatly devoted to the Mother of God.