Knights Templar of Jerusalem in Bristol, After 700 Year Absence

bristol | miscellaneous | news report Tuesday June 19, 2007 17:11 by Anarchist606

Knights Templar of Jerusalem - A Historical Footnote?

"For the first time in 700 years the Knights Templar of Jerusalem will be holding an investiture service at St.Mary Redcliffe Church on Saturday 23rd June at 4.30pm. All welcome."

Poster on Wall

Here's an odd bit of news.. out in town today I saw this poster claiming that, "For the first time in 700 years the Knights Templar of Jerusalem will be holding an investiture service at St.Mary Redcliffe Church on Saturday 23rd June at 4.30pm. All welcome." Wow, it's not every day that you hear the Kights Templar still even exist, never mind that they will be holding a public event! I have been doing a bit of research, as I don't know if the 'Knights Templar of Jerusalem' are the same group as the 'Knights Templar' as found in Dan Brown et al...so in googling I found reference to a document reportedly dated 1312;

"For an everlasting record. Not long ago, under the Lord's providence, we held a general council at Vienne, at which we suppressed the former order of the Knights Templar of Jerusalem. We granted, attached and joined the Templar possessions, with the approval of the sacred council, to the order of the Hospital of saint John of Jerusalem..."

Is this the same Knights Templar of conspiracy theory? A wikipedia entry notes, "The Freemasons began incorporating Templar symbols and rituals in the 1700s, and have a modern title called 'Order of the Knights Templar' to which members can aspire." Is this the 'Knights Templar of Jerusalem'? Further wikipedia entries note, "Knights Templar is an international philanthropic masonic order...There is absolutely no historical evidence to link the medieval Knights Templar and Masonic Templarism."

So perhaps this is just a modern(ish) re-take on a far older history?