Secretum Templi, is divided into 7 works
I- “COMPLETE EPISTOLARY OF JACQUES DE MOLAY”.
Archive of the Crown of Aragon. Complete collection of letters between the Last Grand Master of the Order Jacques de Molay and King James II of Aragon. Some twenty autograph letters written in Latin and Provençal.
II.- “LETTERS OF THE LAST TEMPLARS”.
Archive of the Crown of Aragon. Fine facsimile reproduction of 30 handwritten letters of the last Knights Templar miraculously preserved, despite the order to be intercepted and destroyed. They show the anguished uncertainty they suffered during the extermination of the order.
III- “PRIMITIVE RULE OF THE TEMPLE “. THE HOLY GRAIL OF MANUSCRIPTS
Archives of the Còte d’Or. Ms. French H111. 13th century. Dimensions/extension: 142 x 202 mm; 122 pages. Binding: leather with Templar Cross embossed in red.
IV- CHINON PARCHMENT. Vatican Secret Archives.
I- A.A. Arm. D 217. Dated 1308. Clement V, absolves the Temple. 670 x 621 mm.
V- INTERROGATION OF THE TEMPLARS. CASTILLA AND LEON. Vatican Secret Archives
II- A.A. Arm. D 220. (Medina del Campo, 27 April 1310, unpublished.) Paper. 26 Acts, 900 x 21 cm. approx.
VI- INTERROGATION OF THE TEMPLARS. CATALONIA, KINGDOM OF ARAGON AND NAVARRA.
Chapter Archive of the H.E. Cathedral Basilica of Barcelona. Codex 124a-124b (Unpublished 1310) 124 b. Parchment. Diptych. 495 x 410 mm. 124a. Paper. 88 pages. 210 x 302 mm.
VII – SENTENCE OF ABSOLUTION TO THE TEMPLE IN SPAIN.
Archive of the Crown of Aragon. Varia de Cancillería 412. Unpublished 1312. Paper. 32 pages. 211 x 305 mm.
“Secretum Templi” Volume of complementary studies:
Historical scientific study by D. Carlos Alvar Ezquerra; Paleographic study and transcription by D. Rafael Conde Delgado de Molina; Illustrated in the style of medieval miniaturists by José Aguilar.
“Processus contra Templarios” Volume of complementary studies and abridged translation:
Barbara Frale, most internationally renowned palaeographer-researcher of the Vatican Secret Archives.
THE HOLY GRAIL OF MANUSCRIPTS
The sources tell us that the pilgrims on their penitence towards the Holy Places of Jerusalem, died of sunstroke, thirst and above all victims of bandits and infidels who stole all their belongings. If they fell ill, they were abandoned by their frightened companions. In addition to these dangers, they also had to overcome the stalking of wild animals, as well as injuries and illnesses contracted during their long journey.
Faced with these threats, a group of 8 knights, led by Hugues de Payens, vowed to dedicate their lives to protecting them. To this end, around 1118 they formed an order of chivalry that combined the figure of the monk with that of the soldier to guarantee their mission, under the title: “Poor Soldiers of Christ”. The King of Jerusalem, Baldwin II, gave them a palace within the grounds of the ancient Temple of Solomon and from there they became known as the “Temple” or “Templars”. At the Council of Troyes (1128), Pope Honorius II approved the order and its Primitive Rule, written by Bernard of Clairvaux in the presence of the first Grand Master of the Order, Hugues de Payens.
It soon aroused great interest to such an extent that it attracted influential figures such as the King of France, the papacy and a large number of benefactors who provided them with food, clothing and even an annual subsidy. They began to spread throughout Europe where new members were continually being recruited, while expanding their mission to other pilgrimage routes such as “The Way of St. James”.
This was the reason for its translation into French, as France was initially home to the largest Templar contingent. The numerous articles regulate the discipline of monastic life, dress, the hierarchical rules of the Order, the number of servants, horses and squires to which each member was entitled, how to camp, the election of Grand Master, convent life in periods of peace, the importance of the opinion and experience of the elders of the Order… and an endless list of articles that gradually completed the Primitive Rule. Of these it is worth mentioning the extensive list of penances and the 9 infractions for which a knight could be expelled, as well as the curious chapter on “Reception”.
RISE AND EXPANSION
The Templars inspired confidence and became key figures involved in major political decisions and arbiters of local disputes. By the 13th century, they numbered more than 15,000 members and owned 9,000 castles and fortresses, despite their vows of chastity, poverty and obedience to the service of the Cross, which they wore in red on their chests covered by a white cloak. The Order of the Temple achieved such power, wealth and influence that it began to be feared by kings. By the end of the 13th century there were already many murmurings about its lust for political power.
RECOVERING A LOST TREASURE OF UNIVERSAL HISTORY
The codex of “The Primitive Rule of the Temple” which we present here has a double added value. It is certainly the first translated manuscript of the Old Latin Rule, kept in the Departmental Archives of the Côte d’Or – Ms H111 Dijon 13th century – until the fateful date in 1985 when the precious original document was stolen. Thanks to the foresight of the archivists, a single microfilmed copy has been preserved prior to its plundering, reproducing the full text, its characteristics and binding. Starting from the black and white microfilms, each page has been digitised in very high resolution, and then the grey level densities of the image have been analysed, which allows us to define the possible colourimetric values for each colour area. Thanks to this process, life and fidelity identical to the original have been brought to life with a meticulous artisanal and artistic technique similar to that used in black and white films that are brought to colour, all led by a group of experts in medieval manuscripts. Following the agreement signed with the Departmental Archives of the Côte d’Or, the extraordinary initiative of recovering one of the most valuable treasures of medieval history in a facsimile edition has been carried out for the first time, reviving the truth treasured in the original work, which reflects the beginning of the most extraordinary Military Religious Order that has ever existed.