This early 20th century postcard features one of the most picturesque places in Southern France — Rocamadour (Rocamador in Occitan), located in the Lot department. The title for this image reads Vue du Chemin des Templiers (View of the Templar Road).
Apparently, the local legend has it that the Knights Templar used this road in order to gain entrance into their church without going through town. According to Charly Senet, this name, passed down through multiple, generations has been effaced within the last one hundred years. Several other names have been used instead for more recent postcards of the same place: The Bishop’s Passage, The Road of the Bishop of Tulle, The Holy way.
Although the presence of the Knights Templar in this area has been documented, it is most likely that Rocamadour has never been a major Templar stronghold. It is still sad that memories of the great military Order that once so prominent are being lost in some parts of Europe.
The commune of Gavarnie in southwestern France boasts a unique and strange set of relics. The local church has an enclosed wooden case containing human skulls. Along the top the case there is an engraved inscription: Crânes des Templiers (Skulls of Templars). Perhaps the most colorful legend related to these skulls can be found in Henri Martin’s 16-volume Histoire de France (1839). According to this story, several Knights Templar were martyred in Gavarnie at the time of infamous arrests initiated by Philip the Fair. They say that on every anniversary of the Order’s dissolution, a figure appears at the local cemetery, dressed in Templar uniform. This apparition disturbs the night by asking three times, “Who will defend the Holy Temple? Who will free the Holy Sepulcher of Our Lord?” Following that, the seven skulls respond, “Nobody! Nobody! Is Temple is ruined!”
It should be noted that the very existence of the Knights Templar in Gavarnie at any point in time is doubtful. It is more likely that the Knights of the Hospital had some presence in the area. Despite this, the way these skulls have been preserved at a local church is remarkable. It demonstrates the prominent role that the Knights Templar played in the minds of many generations that have passed since the early 14th century.
See also:
How can I become a Knight Templar? One of the most frequently asked questions!
Legends of the Knights Templar Obscure historic narratives and local legends about the Order.
The subject of this painting by Jose Moreno Carbonero (1860-1942) is rather unlikely. It depicts the arrival of Roger de Flor to Constantinople in 1303. He is accompanied with 8000 ‘Almogavares’ serving the Byzantine Emperor in Battle against the Turks. Who was Roger de Flor?
The following story can be found, along with many other fascinating tales, in “Legends of the Knights Templar”.
The life and career of Roger de Flor (1267-1305, also known as Rutger von Blume) is so incredible that it seems legendary. Much of what is known about this man comes from a book written by one of his subordinates. It appears that Roger to a German knight in the service of Frederick II and was drawn to sea faring at a young age. He became a cabin boy on a Templar ship and eventually joined the Order as a sergeant. During the siege of Acre in 1291, Roger de Flor commanded a Knights Templar ship called the Falcon. There were reports that he used that calamitous situation to enrich himself, charging civilians for their rescue from the embattled city. As a result, de Flor was expelled from the Order of the Knights Templar. He went on to command a fleet of ships for Charles of Naples, who was involved in a war with Aragon over Sicily. When Charles was no longer able to pay his mercenaries, Roger de Flor offered to his crews rich spoils in the Levant. His career continued as a mixture of privateering and outright piracy. The success of de Flor’s navy was such that his employer, the Byzantine Emperor Andronicus II, was forced to see him as an equal. De Flor married a Byzantine princess and received a duke’s title. The life of plunder, warfare and intrigues could hardly end any other way but with an assassination, which was carried out at the behest of the new Emperor, Michael IX Palaeologus.
See also: Famous Knights Templar
This story can be found, along with many other fascinating tales, in the book called Legends of the Knights Templar. This particular piece is very notable, because it tells of a very rarely discussed legendary artifact, King Melchior’s golden diadem. This miracle-working object supposedly belonged to the Knights Templar, prior to being lost forever after the Order’s dissappearance.
John of Hildesheim (born c. 1310-1320, died in 1375) was a Carmelite monk best known for his popular Historia Trium Regum (History of the Three Kings). This book relates the story of the Three Magi who came to worship Jesus Christ in his infancy. John’s original text includes an interesting twist, overlooked by Templar historians.
According to chapter IV of Historia Trium Regium, in the “Land of Ind,” there was a mountain called the Hill of Vaws, or the Hill of Victory. Ever since the times when Israelites came out of Egypt and conquered the Promised Land, the keepers of this hill watched for anything unusual in the West. The purpose of this outpost was mainly to prevent a sudden attack on the Land of Ind, but it was on this hill that the Star announcing the birth of Christ was first observed. [click to continue…]
