Tracking Down the Tale of the Knights Templar

Oct. 29, 2007 -- The story has it all: Vatican intrigue, corruption, medieval castles, secret knights, papal inquiries, and royal conspiracies.

But it is not fiction.

More than 5 meters of recovered parchments reveal the actual account of one of the most important trials of the Middle Ages: The Processus Contra Templarios (Latin for "Trial Against the Templars").

The Knights Templar was a powerful and secretive medieval order originally formed to protect Christian pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem. The order was dissolved following charges of heresy in 1314.

This book reveals the order's innocence.

The parchment is the transcript of the hearings that took place at Chinon, France in August 1308. It chronicles the accusations of heresy, the Templars' defense and the Pope's absolution of the order.

Since the Knights Templar was accused some seven centuries ago, the order has entered the realm of legend. Most recently the best-selling book, "The DaVinci Code," speculated on the order's actual, secret purpose.

Now, in an effort to restore the Templars' reputation, the Vatican is selling 799 copies of the "Processus Contra Templarios" at 5,900 euros ($8,377) apiece.

The reproduction comes in a soft leather case, complete with a faithful replica of the original papal wax seals. Printed on a special synthetic parchment, it also contains English and Italian translations, as well as scholarly commentary.

Barbara Frale, the Vatican archives official who rediscovered the Chinon parchment after more than 10 years of research in the Vatican Secret Archives, spoke with Discovery News about her find and about the medieval crusading order.

Rossella Lorenzi, Discovery News: What's it like working at the Vatican’s secret archives?

Barbara Frale: It’s such an incredible adventure. The archives are an endless labyrinth of historical treasures. The lives of so many Popes fill some 80 kilometers of shelves underground, beneath the Vatican. There are millions of original documents, you almost feel dizzy there.

It's really detective work, and it begins right from the huge Index Room, which contains some 3,800 books.

Finding the right document is not easy at all. Also, you need years of study, a specialization in paleography, and several years of work experience to decode the ancient writings.

RL: What is your main area of study?

BF: I’ve been studying the history of the Knights Templar since 1995. At the Vatican Archives, I came across some big paper registers written when the papal court was in Avignon, France (1309-1378). I noticed that a bulk of documents which belonged to Pope Benedict XII actually contained some papers dating back to the reign of a former Pope, Clement V.

The document featured a piece of the trial of the Templars, namely the only inquiry which had been held by the pontiff, himself, at Poitiers, in the summer of 1308. There also was a "Rubrice," a summary of notes written on some cheap paper.

These annotations turned to be a historical treasure far more than the refined and expensive parchments. There I could find the real thoughts of the Pope. My fascination with the Templars could only increase at this point. I had to dig deeper.

RL: So, how did you discover the Chinon parchment?

BF: In 2001 I found a list of provincial inquires that Clement V ordered to be held by diocesan bishops. An inquiry appeared to be a hearing held by Bérenger Frédol, one of the best canonist of his time and the Pope’s nephew. It appeared very strange to me that such a man would be sent to the country, to hold one of the ordinary diocesan hearings.

I was right: the inquiry was indeed the Chinon hearing. When I saw that original parchment with the seals of the three cardinals appointed by Clement V to judge the Templar General Staff in his name, I could not believe my eyes. It was the document so many historians had been searching for.

RL: What these documents from the Vatican Archives reveal that wasn't known before?

BF: Since the trial of the Templars ended with the destruction of the order, with the Grand Master Jacques De Molay burning at the stake in 1314, it was believed that Pope Clement V agreed on the heresy charges moved by the King of France, Philip IV "The Fair."

On the contrary, the Chinon parchment and the Rubrice show that Clement V wanted the Templar order to be saved. He wanted to reform and restore it to its original strength. Indeed, the Knights received the papal absolution from all charges of heresy.

RL: How did it happen that the Templars were imprisoned?

BF: It was a very dramatic event: on Friday 13, October 1307 the French soldiers broke into all Templar preceptories and imprisoned the monks. It was a heavy abuse of power as the Templars were a religious order completely independent from royal authority.

The truth is that the King of France, who badly needed money, wanted to seize the Templars’ wealth. The order amassed fortunes through property and banking but declined after the Muslim reconquest of the Holy Land.