Within the hills of Le Marche sits a small village called Castignano which was one of the main Crusader settlements of the area. This whole region was important as the port of Ancona was on the main route to Jerusalem. Legend has it that a whole army of Knights is buried here and along with them part of the Templar Treasure. Each year a Templaria Festival is held in the town in remembrance.
The Templaria Festival, Castignano
Music, Templar food and drink - they make their own wine and beer - history, performances, colourful costumes and re-enactments bring the era to life. There are Knights, lepers, chickens and dancers. The medieval village comes alive with the oil flame lanterns, straw covered open taverns, drums and fanfares during a four-day celebration each August.
The Quintana, Ascoli Piceno
A joust that takes place on the first Sunday in August every year is not well-advertised but is supported enthusiastically by the local people. About fifteen hundred take part, dress in period costumes and parade through the city and out to the Jousting Field to compete to packed crowds of residents, approximately sixty thousand of them. There are six 'sestiere' champions, one for each neighbourhood of the town. The spectators all wear the colours of their 'team'.
Riders with lances joust on a course shaped like a racetrack and attack a cardboard figure of either a Saracen or Moor, scoring points for their team. The winner then parades back through the Piazza Arringo to the celebrations that last all evening, concluding in fireworks at midnight.
The Knights Templars - A Potted History
The Templar story begins in the year 1118 AD with King Baldwin II being chosen as King by the Crusaders. Hugh de Payenne offered his help and nine men started the Order of the Poor Knights of the Temple of Soloman to protect Jerusalem and the Pilgrims. These nine became thousands of warrior monks who all took vows of obedience, celibacy and poverty. It was a Holy calling, a special force for Christ. They prayed seven times each day as well as completing strenuous training. They were efficient and disciplined.
The Templars were instrumental in many battles and seemed invincible, as they were forbidden to retreat unless ordered to do so. They wouldn't desert or break ranks, and their motto was: "Death in battle is glorious". They would keep charging until enemy lines were broken. They were extremely well respected and were given the ancient site of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem as their headquarters. The Temple once housed the Ark of the Covenant until, in AD 70 the Romans destroyed the Temple and burned the City.
Hugh de Payenne went to the Council of Troyes and the Pope gave them his blessing as well as power and immunity from laws and taxes. They became a force unto themselves, financing and constructing many of the gothic cathedrals such as Chartres. They designed the Temple Church in London to represent the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and it was also used as a Treasury. Their huge resources were managed and administered from there, they began lending sums to nobles, charging interest of course. They began the cheques and lines of credit that we use today. The noble was given a receipt that he could cash in - a sort of medieval Travellers Cheque.
The Crusades both made and destroyed the Templars. The Muslim armies converged on the Holy Land and defeated the Crusaders. By 1290 the Templars lost Acre, the last castle owned by them, and they retreated to Cyprus.
Jacques de Molay, Grand Master, was keen to embark upon what was to be the final Crusade and in 1307 arrived in Paris at the request of Pope Clement V. King Philippe IV of France owed huge debts, his biggest creditor being the Templars. He decided to arrest them and grab their money. On Friday 13th October 1307 - the origin of the superstition - hundreds were arrested. The 'investigations' began with torture in order to extract a confession and the rack was used on a hundred Templars in Paris alone. There were one hundred and twenty seven accusations put to them and many did 'confess', including the Grand Master.
The Pope, who was being kept in France by Philippe, reluctantly agreed to these arrests. However the Vatican Archives contain The Parchment of Chinon , dated 17 - 20 August 1308, which is the Absolution of leading Members of the Templar Order. Philippe used blackmail and over-ruled the Pontiff. On March 18th 1314 Jacques was burned at the stake as a heretic, on the Isle des Juifs, on the Seine. Legend has it that through the fire he put a curse on both the King and Pope and within a year they too were dead.
The Templaria Festivals are an excellent way to remember, and take part in, the life that they knew. Colourful, vibrant and somewhat dangerous – the fire is real – dancing, singing and much quaffing, the towns are packed as they would have been eight hundred years ago with pilgrims and their protectors on their way to and from the Holy Land.
Sources:
Vatican Archives
Le Marche Travel.com
The Templars by Malcolm Barber & Keith Bate (M U Press)
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