Knights Templar – Foundation of the Order
The Order of the Knights Templar was founded by Hugues de Payens in 1119.
This religious and military order assisted pilgrims during the Crusades undertaken by the Church of Rome to protect and spread Christianity in the Middle East. The Templars were monks-knights and warriors. They established their fortified headquarters on the site of the Temple of Solomon, thus giving the order its name.
The kings of France generously rewarded them with lands and riches for their unwavering support and protection during the Crusades. The Templars used these donations to establish a network of command posts, known as Commanderies, throughout France.
The income generated by these estates then provided for those who remained in the Holy Land to protect their fortified headquarters. The monarchs of France and beyond granted numerous estates across Europe to the Knights Templar, allowing them to amass vast holdings and, it is said, a legendary treasure.
In 1291, the Muslims finally captured the Holy City, marking the end of the last crusade. The Templars transferred their headquarters from the Holy City to their fortified monastery in Paris, from where they managed their extensive provincial estates.
Abolition of the Order
However, at the beginning of the 14th century, the despotic and arrogant King Philip the Fair saw the power and immense wealth of the Templars as a threat to his authority. His fears were all the greater because the kingdom’s coffers were empty!
To remedy this financial crisis, he instituted new taxes and confiscated the property of foreign bankers and Jews. Even more radically, in 1307, he ordered the arrest of all the Templars in France and the confiscation of their possessions. But despite his efforts, he never managed to recover their legendary “treasure.”
The Templars underwent a seven-year trial, during which they were accused of heresy and idolatry and were ultimately condemned to death. In 1312, at the king’s instigation, the Pope abolished the Order.
The Grand Master of the Order, Jacques de Molay, along with two other dignitaries, was burned alive on March 18, 1314, in what is now the Square du Vert-Galant on the Ile de la Cité in Paris.
Before dying, Jacques de Molay condemned the king and the pope before God for their heinous act and, it is said, pronounced a curse upon them. Curiously, both men died the following year. The sons of Philip the Fair died without male heirs, and the crown passed to another branch of the royal family.
Knights Templar’s estates in Causse du Larzac
During their heyday, the Knights Templar established numerous commanderies across France, on land bequeathed by kings.
One of the most important domains was the Causse du Larzac, an arid, semi-desert plateau stretching between Millau and Lodève. This region has traditionally been dedicated to sheep farming, with the ewes’ milk used to produce the famous AOC Roquefort cheese. The Templars established five commanderies on the Larzac, thus fostering regional development.
After the Order’s dissolution in 1312, the Order of the Knights Hospitaller of St. John of Jerusalem inherited all their lands. During the Hundred Years’ War, the Hospitallers fortified the commanderies to protect the population and livestock from English troops and brigands. They continued the development of local agriculture, sheep farming, and related industries initiated by the Templars.
The fortresses once again played a defensive role during the Wars of Religion in the 16th century. However, they were confiscated during the French Revolution and sold to private individuals.
Discover the five fortified Templar commanderies in the Causse du Larzac:
Aveyron department – Causse du Larzac
