Knights Templar History and Medieval Resources

When speaking about Templar symbols one must distinguish between the symbols used by the Knights Templar order, as a means of identifying itself and its property, and the symbols used by Templars for various other reasons. This other category includes numerous symbols, some of which were very common in the Middle Ages, so there is nothing unusual in the fact that the Knights used them. In modern Templar myths you can find all sorts of symbols attributed to the Templars. I will only discuss symbols (some of them, of course) for which there is archaeological or manuscript evidence.

The following symbols were used by the Knights Templar as a means of asserting their identity. Sometimes they were combined in a single image (e.g. the cross on a banner)

Beauseant banner



This black and white flag, perhaps signifying the strife between good and evil, was probably the most important symbol for each individual Knight Templar. According to the statutes of the Order, knights were supposed to always be aware of the flag's location on the battle field. Whenever the knights would become scattered and disoriented they were supposed to gather in a formation under Beauseant. If the Templar banner was not visible, the knights headed towards the Hospitaller flag or, lacking one, to any other Christian standard on the battle field.

Two knights on one horse

This famous image of two Templars riding one horse signifies the vow of poverty. The symbol is found on many Knights Templar seals.

Red cross

The red cross symbolized martyrdom. It could be seen on the Knights' Templar garb. This symbol is distinctly different from the White Cross of Hospitallers (who eventually adopted the red cross) and the black cross of the Teutonic Order.

Temple Dome



There are various theories regarding the identity of the dome seen on many templar seals. It may be the Dome on the Rock, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, or simply a representation of the original Temple of Solomon.

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Umberto Eco used the Knights Templar history and lore in his novel Foucault's Pendulum. At least two quotes from this book are occasionally used to summarize the meaning of all things Templar in modern culture.

Ci sono anche i matti senza Templari, ma quelli coi Templari sono i più insidiosi.
There are lunatics who don't talk about the Templars, but those who do are the most insidious.

I Templari c'entrano sempre.
The Templars have something to do with everything.

Ireland remains one of the most prominent Catholic strongholds of Europe. During the Middle Ages, the island was home to many scholars and mystics, creating a distinct Irish "brand" of monasticism: learned, devout and contemplative. Ireland largely stayed out of the way when in the late 11th century main European powers launched what turned out to be a two-century long campaign to bring Palestine under Christian control. The Order of the Knights Templar came to Ireland as a foreign power in the second half of the 12th century, among other Anglo-Norman, Welsh, Scottish and French invaders. Over time, the Knights Templar in Ireland began to operate very similarly to the way they displayed their presence in England: organizing and providing support for the crusading armies, managing properties and heavily involved in financial dealings of various sorts.

A 19th century Irish historian states that "It does not appear that the Templars of Ireland were as hardly dealt with as those on the Continent; perhaps their conduct was not so flagrant" ("The Knights Templars in Ireland", The Dublin Penny Journal, Volume 2, Number 87, March 1, 1834). Despite lesser harshness directed towards individual Irish Templars, the fate of the Order on the whole was no different in Ireland than in most of Europe. It was disbanded, and its property was given to the Knights of St John, the Templar's bitter rival in the fight for a common goal.

Well, I finally got to watch Arn: The Knight Templar (Swedish title "Arn - Tempelriddaren"). The movie is based on a trilogy by Jan Guilou, available in English. I am mentioning the book because the main thing you will notice if you watch the movie is that most plot lines are only initiated in the movie and will need to find their resolution later. So, you just may have to get a hold of the books, to learn what happened.

The main character's story follows a generic hero plot line. Nothing unusual. Arn Magnusson is likable and for the most part believable. He seems to journey from naivete to experience quite quickly in a well-depicted atmosphere of a Medieval feudal society. Arn's Templar activities are really not the main focus of the movie. However, if you would like to see some scenic views of Scandinavia, this is a movie for you! There is just a little bit of fighting and violence throughn in for good measure. On the whole, no masterpiece, but if you like the subject matter (I would stress that it is primarily Middle Ages vs. Templar history specifically) you might enjoy it. Oh, yeah, there is a nice shot of a Templar sword with the "In Hoc Signo Vinces" motto. That explains why I have seen replicas of this sword for sale!

Anyone familiar with history of Christianity knows that the symbol of the cross was used in a variety of different ways. And even prior to the time of Crusades thee were stories about crosses showing up on garments. There could have been nothing more suitable for Crusading armies than implementing crosses as a visual distinction. Abbot Guibert in his History of Jerusalem (1.5) says that Pope Urban II instituted this sign both as a sign of military distinction and a symbol that would help Christian knights fight better for God's cause. The Abbot clarifies that the pope ordered the figure of the cross out of any material (ex cujuslibet materia) sown onto tunics and cloaks of the members of the expedition.

Fulcher of Chartres says: "O, how fitting and how pleasing it was for us all to see those crosses, stitched in silk or in gold, or made out of any kind of material, which the Pilgrims, following the order of the Pope, fashioned on their shoulders after pledging to set out on this march".

It is quite evident that there was no color or design required of the Crusaders. If any of the original nine members of the Knights Templar Order came to Palestine during the first crusade they would have worn crosses on their garments, but there is nothing to be said about how exactly those crosses looked.

In 1128 Pope Honorius II granted the Knights Templar the right to use white cloaks for distinction and as a symbol of innocence, but without any crosses ("absque aliqua cruce", says Jacques de Vitry). Only Eugene III (1145-1153) instituted that the Templars wear red crosses as a sign of martyrdom.

It would seem that the specific shape of the cross was not that crucial (sorry for the pun). Considering the Knights Templar humility and their desire to avoid ostentation, a simple cross of two equal beams would have been the most likely to be used at the time. Even a cross with a longer vertical line requires additional measuring in order "to make it look good", right?



I believe that only later the cross that is typically seen as the Templar cross because widely used by the Knights:



The Maltese cross is very similar. It is possible that the Templars did not at all feel that this design is all that different. In addition, the eight points of the Maltese cross have their own special significance as the eight beatitudes of Christianity proclaimed by Christ in the Sermon on the Mount (Mathew 5-7).


The main reason why I would advise modern Templar enthusiasts, writers etc. to use the second design (i.e. the Templar cross proper, the cross patee) is that the Maltese cross is too recognizable and has a longer history as a distinct symbol of the Knights Hospitaller, the order which still exists today under a different name.

In 1997 two French researchers, Marion and Courage, claimed to have discovered previously unseen characters on the surface of the Shroud of Turin, using certain image processing techniques. The letters did not make a whole lot of grammatical sense, and few were convinced that they really exist. In 2009, Barbara Frale published a book where she gave her own reading of these words. She also provided additional support for the theory that the Shroud was in the possession of the Knights Templar. Possibly this relic was the actual object that started the rumors about a mysterious "head" worshiped by the Templars. As far as Frale's interpretation of the words on the Shroud, she took them to be Jesus' "death certificate". I have some doubts about the validity of the proposed readings, but before I even attempt to come up with my own it would be nice to independently reproduce the image processing technique. So far, the only source I have for this method is found on this page (in Italian):

Christianismus: Barbara Frale e le scritte sulla sindone di Torino

In essence, the method consists of removing the "fish bone" texture of the canvas, in order to bring up the writing. Unfortunately, I don't have any Photoshop filters to achieve the same result...

It must be added that by simply looking at the untraced results of the two most important words in the inscription, one can see that they are by no means distinct and unmistakable.

This one is supposed to be (Ι)ΗΣΟΥ(Σ) - Jesus:




This one is being interpreted as ΝΑΖΑΡΕΝΝΙΟΣ - Nazarite:



To say the least, I am not convinced that there is much to this theory. But I would still like to try the same imaging techniques!