Knights Templar (Freemasonry)

Knights Templar (Freemasonry)
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Name	Knights Templar (Freemasonry)
Formation	18th century (ecclesiastical revival in Freemasonry)
Type	Fraternal order
Headquarters	Varies by jurisdiction (e.g., York, Paris, Washington, D.C.)
Leader title	Grand Master

Knights Templar (Freemasonry) The Knights Templar within Freemasonry is an appendant Christian chivalric order derived from 18th‑ and 19th‑century masonic development, practiced in many United Kingdom and United States jurisdictions and in continental Europe. It combines elements drawn from ceremonial Freemasonry, Knights Hospitaller, Templar legends, and clerical orders associated with Church of England, Roman Catholic Church, and various Protestant bodies. Its rituals, regalia, and structure reflect a fusion of medieval chivalry, masonic symbolism, and ecclesiastical forms used across orders such as the United Religious, Military and Masonic Orders of the Temple and of St John of Jerusalem, Palestine, Rhodes and Malta.

History

The masonic Knights Templar emerged during the revival of chivalric degrees in the 18th century alongside the formation of the Premier Grand Lodge of England and the Grand Lodge of Scotland, with further codification during the 19th century in the United States and France. Early influences include the medieval Poor Fellow‑Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon and the Order of Saint John (Knights Hospitaller), as filtered through masonic systems such as the Rite of Strict Observance, the Scottish Rite, and the York Rite. Key figures and institutions associated with its development include Sir Walter Scott, the Duke of Wellington, and masonic bodies like the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the United States and the United Grand Priories of England and Wales and its Districts and Provinces Overseas. The 19th‑century European context of Napoleonic Wars, Congress of Vienna, and the rise of national churches shaped both the ceremonial revival and the political framing of chivalric masonic orders.

Organization and Structure

Templar bodies are typically organized into encampments, preceptories, or commanderies, subordinated to provincial, national, or international grand bodies such as the Grand Encampment of the United States of America or the Grand Priory of England and Wales. Officers include Grand Master, Commander, Prelate, and Registrar, paralleling titles found in Order of St John (chartered 1888), Order of Malta, and diocesan structures of the Anglican Communion or Roman Curia when clerical involvement occurs. Membership prerequisites often require affiliation with lodges under grand lodges like the Grand Lodge of Scotland or the Grand Lodge of New York and adherence to Christian profession, distinguishing it from ecumenical rites such as the Scottish Rite Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. Jurisdictional differences exist among entities like the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the United States and the United Grand Priories of England and Wales, affecting admission, governance, and charity activities tied to institutions such as St Thomas' Hospital and Eye Hospital charities.

Rituals and Degrees

Ritual practice typically centers on chivalric orders: the degrees of Knight Templar, Order of the Red Cross, and Order of Malta variants, often integrated into the York Rite progression alongside the Royal Arch and Cryptic Masonry degrees. Liturgical elements borrow language and narrative from the Tanakh, the New Testament, and medieval romances popularized by authors like Chrétien de Troyes and Geoffrey of Monmouth, while ceremonial forms reflect influences from the Rite of Misraim and the Rite of Memphis. Ritual objects, passwords, and lectures echo precedents set by early masonic compendia such as the Anderson's Constitutions and ritual manuals circulating in the Age of Enlightenment, though variations persist between the Grand Encampment (USA) and continental rites practiced in France and Italy.

Symbols and Regalia

Common symbols include the red cross pattée, the white mantle, the triangular or eight‑pointed star, and the crown and sceptre, similar to iconography used by the medieval Knights Templar (medieval) and the Order of Christ (Portugal). Regalia ranges from simple aprons and collars to elaborate mantles, chapeaux, and swords bearing emblems akin to those used by the Order of the Garter and the Order of St Michael and St George. Jewelry and insignia often reference the Seal of the Knights Templar, the Cross of Lorraine, and heraldic motifs found in collections such as the Heraldic Museum and in portraits by artists like Benjamin West and Jean‑Honoré Fragonard.

Relationship to Historical Knights Templar

Masonic Templarism claims symbolic succession rather than direct institutional continuity with the medieval Poor Fellow‑Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon. Historians and institutions including the British Library, Bibliothèque nationale de France, and scholars of Templar studies distinguish between mythic appropriation and documentary lineage; masonic orders often acknowledge this by framing the medieval Templars as inspirational archetypes while tracing actual legal descent to later chivalric and hospitaller orders such as the Order of Malta and national orders recognized at the Council of Trent and in post‑medieval charitable foundations.

Notable Jurisdictions and Orders

Prominent jurisdictions include the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the United States of America, the United Grand Priories of England and Wales and its Districts and Provinces Overseas, the Grand Priory of Scotland, and continental bodies active in France, Italy, and Switzerland. Other notable organizations with Templar‑styled degrees or connections are the Masonic Knights Templar of Canada, the Supreme Grand Council of the York Rite Sovereign College, and independent orders such as the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem (Ordo Supremus Militaris Templi Hierosolymitani), which interact with chivalric, charitable, and heritage institutions like the Temple Church in London and museums preserving medieval arms and armor collections from the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Musée de l'Armée.

Category:Freemasonry Category:Chivalric orders