1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,750 (dramatic music) 2 00:00:04,170 --> 00:00:06,100 The most mysterious chivalric order 3 00:00:06,100 --> 00:00:07,233 Paris has ever known, 4 00:00:10,020 --> 00:00:11,590 the Knights Templar. 5 00:00:11,590 --> 00:00:15,060 Theirs is a story of secrets and intrigue. 6 00:00:15,060 --> 00:00:16,367 The Order of the Knights Templar 7 00:00:16,367 --> 00:00:19,560 was the largest chivalric order of the Middle Ages. 8 00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:20,720 And when you speak of knights, 9 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:22,593 the Templars are never far away. 10 00:00:24,670 --> 00:00:28,060 Legends abound about these knights. 11 00:00:28,060 --> 00:00:30,813 Some people claim they possessed a mysterious treasure. 12 00:00:32,410 --> 00:00:34,930 While others believe they survived their persecution 13 00:00:34,930 --> 00:00:37,023 and found refuge in freemasonry. 14 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:41,730 If we want to discover the truth, 15 00:00:41,730 --> 00:00:44,273 we must investigate here in Paris. 16 00:00:45,198 --> 00:00:47,948 (dramatic music) 17 00:00:55,780 --> 00:00:57,223 I'm Jean-Marc Leri. 18 00:00:58,460 --> 00:01:02,010 I've devoted my life to understanding Paris' history, 19 00:01:02,010 --> 00:01:03,740 studying its secrets, 20 00:01:03,740 --> 00:01:06,063 and wandering its maze of streets. 21 00:01:07,340 --> 00:01:09,803 The city holds many centuries-old mysteries. 22 00:01:11,230 --> 00:01:14,680 Often these cases are dismissed as occult phenomena, 23 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:17,533 myths, legends, or popular beliefs. 24 00:01:19,660 --> 00:01:22,190 Things have happened here though. 25 00:01:22,190 --> 00:01:24,090 There are facts, 26 00:01:24,090 --> 00:01:27,593 consistencies, and bonafide witnesses. 27 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:35,020 Historians, scientists, and investigators of all sorts 28 00:01:35,020 --> 00:01:36,570 have been unable to solve them. 29 00:01:41,140 --> 00:01:45,040 It is time to reveal the most plausible theories, 30 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:47,573 and to get as close as possible to the truth. 31 00:01:49,390 --> 00:01:53,217 Here's Paris as you've never seen it before. 32 00:02:03,702 --> 00:02:06,619 (soft piano music) 33 00:02:24,612 --> 00:02:28,362 From the top of Notre Dame, the city is ours. 34 00:02:30,210 --> 00:02:33,580 The Ile de la Cite stretches out before us. 35 00:02:33,580 --> 00:02:36,130 It is thought Paris, formerly Lutetia, 36 00:02:36,130 --> 00:02:39,803 began here on this island in 250 B.C. 37 00:02:42,950 --> 00:02:47,300 The Pont Neuf was opened by Henry IV in 1606. 38 00:02:47,300 --> 00:02:49,490 It's construction bridged three islands 39 00:02:49,490 --> 00:02:51,243 near the Ile de la Cite. 40 00:02:52,450 --> 00:02:55,583 Today, they form the Square du Vert-Galant. 41 00:02:57,180 --> 00:03:00,090 This is where, in the 14th century, 42 00:03:00,090 --> 00:03:03,390 one of the most fascinating and mysterious chapters 43 00:03:03,390 --> 00:03:05,920 in French history came to a close, 44 00:03:05,920 --> 00:03:07,183 that of the Templars. 45 00:03:08,289 --> 00:03:11,039 (dramatic music) 46 00:03:17,250 --> 00:03:19,850 On this spot, Jacques de Molay, 47 00:03:19,850 --> 00:03:22,410 the last grandmaster of the Knights Templar 48 00:03:22,410 --> 00:03:26,103 was burned at the stake on March the 18th, 1314. 49 00:03:27,630 --> 00:03:28,930 To explore the Templars 50 00:03:28,930 --> 00:03:31,283 is to attempt to answer many questions. 51 00:03:33,150 --> 00:03:35,493 Who were these mysterious knights? 52 00:03:36,380 --> 00:03:39,180 What secrets did they hold? 53 00:03:39,180 --> 00:03:42,153 What is the truth about the Templars' famous treasure? 54 00:03:43,670 --> 00:03:46,360 Was the curse uttered by their grandmaster 55 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:48,170 on the King of France and his family 56 00:03:48,170 --> 00:03:50,733 for 13 generations fulfilled? 57 00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:55,250 To answer these questions, 58 00:03:55,250 --> 00:03:58,183 we must investigate in the very heart of Paris. 59 00:04:17,690 --> 00:04:20,050 The Templars' fascinating story 60 00:04:20,050 --> 00:04:21,940 has thrown up an incredible number 61 00:04:21,940 --> 00:04:24,203 of testimonies and narratives. 62 00:04:25,100 --> 00:04:26,450 The legendary treasure 63 00:04:26,450 --> 00:04:29,083 is just one of the affair's many secrets. 64 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:31,860 To make sense of them all, 65 00:04:31,860 --> 00:04:34,740 you need to examine all manner of old books, 66 00:04:34,740 --> 00:04:36,963 reports, and court records. 67 00:04:38,870 --> 00:04:42,453 Researching the Templars involves real detective work. 68 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:46,403 There are still signs of their presence in Paris. 69 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:49,560 One of the most tangible traces 70 00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:52,240 is to be found at the Marche des Enfants Rouges 71 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:55,303 in the Rue de Bretagne in Paris's third arrondissement. 72 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:01,260 Founded in 1615, 73 00:05:01,260 --> 00:05:02,680 the the Marche des Enfants Rouges 74 00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:05,343 is one of the city's oldest covered markets. 75 00:05:06,544 --> 00:05:09,070 It takes its name from the red uniform 76 00:05:09,070 --> 00:05:12,090 worn by the orphans of the Hospice des Enfants Rouges, 77 00:05:12,090 --> 00:05:14,233 built nearby in the 16th century. 78 00:05:18,650 --> 00:05:22,360 It's said that in 1846, when new sewers were being dug 79 00:05:22,360 --> 00:05:24,420 in the Rue des Enfants Rouges, 80 00:05:24,420 --> 00:05:29,420 a coffin was found containing a man clad in Templar's robes. 81 00:05:34,010 --> 00:05:35,723 Who are the Templars? 82 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:41,573 To find out, we have to go back to their beginnings. 83 00:05:43,610 --> 00:05:45,750 Around 1118 in Jerusalem, 84 00:05:45,750 --> 00:05:48,820 Hugues de Payens, a minor noble and knight, 85 00:05:48,820 --> 00:05:50,870 founded the military religious order 86 00:05:50,870 --> 00:05:52,993 the Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ. 87 00:05:56,030 --> 00:05:58,430 The order's mission was to guard the roads 88 00:05:58,430 --> 00:05:59,900 leading to the Holy City, 89 00:05:59,900 --> 00:06:02,743 and to protect pilgrims visiting Christ's tomb. 90 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:09,160 These religious men were allowed to take up arms 91 00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:10,913 against the enemies of Christendom. 92 00:06:13,350 --> 00:06:16,820 King Baldwin II of Jerusalem gave them a building 93 00:06:16,820 --> 00:06:19,223 close to the ruins of Solomon's temple. 94 00:06:23,580 --> 00:06:26,853 This is how they got their name the Templars. 95 00:06:34,630 --> 00:06:37,940 In 1146, the Templars arrived in Paris 96 00:06:37,940 --> 00:06:39,924 and founded a first establishment 97 00:06:39,924 --> 00:06:42,190 referred to in some documents 98 00:06:42,190 --> 00:06:45,170 as the Vieux Temple, or Old Temple. 99 00:06:45,170 --> 00:06:47,960 It was located near the Place de Greve, 100 00:06:47,960 --> 00:06:50,863 which is now the Place de L'Hotel de Ville. 101 00:06:52,330 --> 00:06:53,750 When he went on Crusade, 102 00:06:53,750 --> 00:06:56,470 Louis VII entrusted the royal treasure 103 00:06:56,470 --> 00:06:59,350 to the Templars for safe keeping. 104 00:06:59,350 --> 00:07:00,350 From then on, 105 00:07:00,350 --> 00:07:02,900 they would be the guardians of the nation's wealth. 106 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:07,280 In the second half of the 12th century, 107 00:07:07,280 --> 00:07:09,923 the Templars acquired marshland to the north. 108 00:07:12,240 --> 00:07:14,363 Here they founded the new temple. 109 00:07:15,670 --> 00:07:19,683 The area is known as the Marais, or the Marsh, to this day. 110 00:07:22,820 --> 00:07:24,420 The Templars went to great lengths 111 00:07:24,420 --> 00:07:27,683 to clear the land and plant oaks, elms, and poplars. 112 00:07:31,137 --> 00:07:35,030 Buildings were erected protected by towers, 113 00:07:35,030 --> 00:07:37,893 crenelated walls, and drawbridges. 114 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:41,693 The Templars' compound took shape. 115 00:07:46,750 --> 00:07:48,993 A city within the city was built. 116 00:07:49,940 --> 00:07:52,050 An area spanning the third, fourth, 117 00:07:52,050 --> 00:07:55,383 and 11th arrondissements, now the Temple Quarter. 118 00:08:00,110 --> 00:08:01,600 By the end of the 12th century, 119 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:04,090 the Templars owned a huge block of land 120 00:08:04,090 --> 00:08:07,188 bordered by the Rue Beranger to the north, 121 00:08:07,188 --> 00:08:10,200 the Rue du Temple to the west, 122 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:12,340 the Rue de la Verrerie to the south, 123 00:08:12,340 --> 00:08:14,603 and the Rue Vieille du Temple to the east. 124 00:08:16,540 --> 00:08:19,660 The fortress stood on what is now the Square du Temple 125 00:08:19,660 --> 00:08:21,563 in Paris's third arrondissement. 126 00:08:25,030 --> 00:08:27,130 Here they set about building a church 127 00:08:27,130 --> 00:08:28,620 in the form of a rotunda, 128 00:08:28,620 --> 00:08:31,870 modeled on Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchral, 129 00:08:31,870 --> 00:08:34,513 which is purported to be Christ's burial place. 130 00:08:39,690 --> 00:08:41,500 They then erected a keeper, 131 00:08:41,500 --> 00:08:45,470 later known as the Tour de Cesar, or Caesar's Tower, 132 00:08:45,470 --> 00:08:47,140 and at the end of the 12th century, 133 00:08:47,140 --> 00:08:48,503 the famous Tour du Temple. 134 00:08:54,530 --> 00:08:58,840 Modern apartment buildings have erased these last vestiges. 135 00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:00,620 The oldest trace apparently attesting 136 00:09:00,620 --> 00:09:02,240 to the Templar's presence concerns 137 00:09:02,240 --> 00:09:04,898 the sites known as Vieux Temple, 138 00:09:04,898 --> 00:09:07,980 of which the City of Paris History Library 139 00:09:07,980 --> 00:09:09,850 probably possesses a picture 140 00:09:09,850 --> 00:09:13,363 depicting a tower known as the Tower of the Devil's Fart. 141 00:09:19,393 --> 00:09:21,729 There's quite a remarkable document 142 00:09:21,729 --> 00:09:25,380 that shows us the state of the Tower of the Devil's Fart. 143 00:09:25,380 --> 00:09:27,950 A Medieval tower that could be an old tower 144 00:09:27,950 --> 00:09:30,963 of the temple's seigneurie in the early 18th century. 145 00:09:32,630 --> 00:09:34,542 This beautiful illustrated album 146 00:09:34,542 --> 00:09:38,555 is kept in the City of Paris History Library. 147 00:09:38,555 --> 00:09:42,330 It wasn't produced to show the tower itself, 148 00:09:42,330 --> 00:09:46,260 but rather a plot of land behind the present city hall 149 00:09:46,260 --> 00:09:50,147 acquired in 1719, by a George Lerat. 150 00:09:51,140 --> 00:09:53,377 As the new owner, he obviously needed detailed drawings 151 00:09:53,377 --> 00:09:55,193 of what he was buying. 152 00:09:56,130 --> 00:09:58,790 He hired a municipal architectural surveyor 153 00:09:58,790 --> 00:10:02,293 to produce detailed plans of the Hotel du Sanem. 154 00:10:03,260 --> 00:10:05,100 That's the name back then of the plot 155 00:10:05,100 --> 00:10:07,063 where this medieval tower stood. 156 00:10:09,900 --> 00:10:12,260 Here we have plans of each floor, 157 00:10:12,260 --> 00:10:13,380 and you can clearly see 158 00:10:13,380 --> 00:10:16,260 the large masonry tower in the center. 159 00:10:16,260 --> 00:10:18,940 It's much sturdier than all the surrounding buildings, 160 00:10:18,940 --> 00:10:20,693 as it was a fortified tower. 161 00:10:24,250 --> 00:10:26,740 It's possible this tower was all that remained 162 00:10:26,740 --> 00:10:29,650 of the original commandry of the temple in Paris, 163 00:10:29,650 --> 00:10:33,210 before the one that was built in the 13th or 14th century, 164 00:10:33,210 --> 00:10:36,263 which survived until the early years of the first empire. 165 00:10:37,780 --> 00:10:39,153 We can't say for sure. 166 00:10:40,710 --> 00:10:42,510 The mystery might be solved one day. 167 00:10:53,097 --> 00:10:55,110 At the beginning of the 14th century, 168 00:10:55,110 --> 00:10:58,063 the Templars were firmly established in Paris. 169 00:10:59,060 --> 00:11:00,840 They owned considerable assets, 170 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:04,150 and formed a powerful structured state within the state, 171 00:11:04,150 --> 00:11:07,410 which was said to have amassed a colossal fortune 172 00:11:07,410 --> 00:11:08,783 thanks to its real estate, 173 00:11:09,620 --> 00:11:11,490 commandries, 174 00:11:11,490 --> 00:11:14,253 fortresses, and land. 175 00:11:17,340 --> 00:11:19,440 The Templars became money lenders, 176 00:11:19,440 --> 00:11:22,000 and developed the bill of exchange system 177 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:25,030 enabling people to travel without being robbed 178 00:11:25,030 --> 00:11:27,880 and receive payment in the local currency 179 00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:30,080 of whichever region or country they were in. 180 00:11:33,965 --> 00:11:36,310 But the Templars' independence and power 181 00:11:36,310 --> 00:11:38,233 became a threat for the monarchy. 182 00:11:40,340 --> 00:11:42,660 Did they have secret designs? 183 00:11:42,660 --> 00:11:44,253 It's far from certain, 184 00:11:45,490 --> 00:11:49,803 but King Philip the Fair decided to get rid of the Templars. 185 00:11:55,750 --> 00:11:57,900 A military operation without precedent 186 00:11:57,900 --> 00:11:59,363 in the history of France. 187 00:12:01,160 --> 00:12:03,623 On October the 13th, 1307, 188 00:12:07,103 --> 00:12:10,120 the king's soldiers simultaneously arrested 189 00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:12,480 all the Templars of France. 190 00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:15,375 Some 150 knights and dignitaries 191 00:12:15,375 --> 00:12:17,610 were dragged from their beds 192 00:12:17,610 --> 00:12:20,460 without having the slightest chance to defend themselves. 193 00:12:21,860 --> 00:12:23,680 They were thrown in jail, 194 00:12:23,680 --> 00:12:25,800 their property was confiscated, 195 00:12:25,800 --> 00:12:27,840 and they were accused of everything. 196 00:12:27,840 --> 00:12:29,830 Heresy, blasphemy, 197 00:12:29,830 --> 00:12:32,040 consorting with infidels, 198 00:12:32,040 --> 00:12:35,540 murder, contempt for the sacraments, 199 00:12:35,540 --> 00:12:38,680 authority, ecclesiastical hierarchy, 200 00:12:38,680 --> 00:12:41,143 denying Christ and trampling on the cross. 201 00:12:42,580 --> 00:12:45,873 From then on, Friday the 13th would be considered unlucky. 202 00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:51,220 Years of imprisonment, accusations, 203 00:12:51,220 --> 00:12:54,370 torture, confessions, retraction, 204 00:12:54,370 --> 00:12:56,273 and procrastination would follow. 205 00:12:59,150 --> 00:13:00,770 All amid the total indifference 206 00:13:00,770 --> 00:13:02,873 of the people and chroniclers of the time. 207 00:13:06,030 --> 00:13:08,910 Seven years later, in 1314, 208 00:13:08,910 --> 00:13:11,525 two dignitaries of the Templar Order 209 00:13:11,525 --> 00:13:15,833 were brought to the forecourt of Notre Dame Cathedral. 210 00:13:18,150 --> 00:13:21,357 The fire was lit at the fire end of the Ile de la Cite, 211 00:13:21,357 --> 00:13:23,660 facing the cathedral's towers, 212 00:13:23,660 --> 00:13:26,400 consuming in its flames Jacques de Molay, 213 00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:28,500 grandmaster of the Knights Templar, 214 00:13:28,500 --> 00:13:31,700 and his final companion Geoffrey de Charney, 215 00:13:31,700 --> 00:13:33,573 the order's preceptor of Normandy. 216 00:13:35,860 --> 00:13:39,010 It is said as he burned at the stake, 217 00:13:39,010 --> 00:13:41,350 Jacques de Molay cursed the French kings 218 00:13:41,350 --> 00:13:44,423 and their descendants for 13 generations. 219 00:13:46,380 --> 00:13:49,010 Within a year, I summon you to appear 220 00:13:49,010 --> 00:13:52,800 before the tribunal of God to answer for your crimes, 221 00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:55,210 curse, curse, I curse you 222 00:13:55,210 --> 00:13:58,683 until the 13th generation of your race. 223 00:14:01,920 --> 00:14:04,143 A series of tragic events occurred. 224 00:14:05,310 --> 00:14:08,273 Philip the Fair died after falling from his horse, 225 00:14:09,220 --> 00:14:12,610 then his three sons died young without male heirs, 226 00:14:12,610 --> 00:14:14,790 bringing the Capetian dynasty to an end, 227 00:14:14,790 --> 00:14:17,290 and hastening the Hundred Years' War with England. 228 00:14:18,690 --> 00:14:21,393 Jacques de Molay died, but his curse lived on. 229 00:14:37,820 --> 00:14:40,580 The Templar Order was no more, 230 00:14:40,580 --> 00:14:43,233 but mysteries surrounding the Templars spread. 231 00:14:44,260 --> 00:14:46,270 One of the most well known concerns 232 00:14:46,270 --> 00:14:47,523 their famous treasure. 233 00:14:52,200 --> 00:14:54,090 During his interrogation, 234 00:14:54,090 --> 00:14:56,330 a Templar claimed that on the eve 235 00:14:56,330 --> 00:15:00,180 of the fateful day of October the 13th, 1307, 236 00:15:00,180 --> 00:15:04,653 three carts filled with treasure left Paris for England. 237 00:15:07,940 --> 00:15:09,860 This is the only witness statement 238 00:15:09,860 --> 00:15:12,103 to mention the Templars' treasure trove. 239 00:15:14,330 --> 00:15:16,820 Apart from the money kept at the temple, 240 00:15:16,820 --> 00:15:18,570 what could this treasure have been? 241 00:15:20,860 --> 00:15:23,860 Some people believe it was the Ark of the Covenant, 242 00:15:23,860 --> 00:15:26,040 said to contain the 10 Commandments 243 00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:28,483 which God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai. 244 00:15:30,500 --> 00:15:31,970 When they lived among the ruins 245 00:15:31,970 --> 00:15:34,270 of Solomon's temple in Jerusalem, 246 00:15:34,270 --> 00:15:36,300 the Templars apparently found it 247 00:15:36,300 --> 00:15:37,963 and brought it back to France. 248 00:15:41,100 --> 00:15:43,620 Others claim it was the Holy Grail, 249 00:15:43,620 --> 00:15:46,780 the chalice Christ drank from at the Last Supper, 250 00:15:46,780 --> 00:15:49,703 which was then used to catch his blood at the crucifixion. 251 00:15:56,445 --> 00:15:58,750 To follow the trail of this fabulous treasure, 252 00:15:58,750 --> 00:16:02,523 we must draw a line between Paris and Scotland. 253 00:16:05,490 --> 00:16:07,260 In the DaVinci Code, 254 00:16:07,260 --> 00:16:10,280 Dan Brown looks for the grail in Scotland, 255 00:16:10,280 --> 00:16:12,450 where it is thought the three treasure carts 256 00:16:12,450 --> 00:16:13,983 were taken for safekeeping. 257 00:16:15,500 --> 00:16:17,300 Their descendants are said to have helped 258 00:16:17,300 --> 00:16:19,660 in the construction of Rosslyn Chapel, 259 00:16:19,660 --> 00:16:24,200 founded in the mid 15th century by William Sinclair, 260 00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:26,003 First Earl of Caithness. 261 00:16:27,650 --> 00:16:31,113 Could the Templars' treasure have been buried at this time? 262 00:16:33,940 --> 00:16:36,540 This is not the only mystery surrounding the chapel. 263 00:16:37,400 --> 00:16:39,610 Historians have discovered carvings there 264 00:16:39,610 --> 00:16:42,020 dated from the mid 15th century, 265 00:16:42,020 --> 00:16:45,080 supposedly representing ears of maize, 266 00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:47,950 a plant unknown in Europe at the time, 267 00:16:47,950 --> 00:16:49,603 and which only grew in America. 268 00:16:52,870 --> 00:16:54,340 Some people think the Templars 269 00:16:54,340 --> 00:16:56,110 may have discovered the New World 270 00:16:56,110 --> 00:16:58,573 a century before Christopher Columbus. 271 00:17:02,190 --> 00:17:04,820 Yet again, this is a flimsy theory, 272 00:17:04,820 --> 00:17:06,763 and there is nothing to support it. 273 00:17:09,985 --> 00:17:13,390 Rosslyn Chapel, which was built in 1440, 274 00:17:13,390 --> 00:17:15,970 contains many signs, many symbols, 275 00:17:15,970 --> 00:17:17,430 because it's an ancient monument 276 00:17:17,430 --> 00:17:19,600 dating from the late Middle Ages, 277 00:17:19,600 --> 00:17:21,320 a time when emblematic monuments, 278 00:17:21,320 --> 00:17:24,500 religious monuments, were covered with symbols, 279 00:17:24,500 --> 00:17:25,780 and symbols can be interpreted 280 00:17:25,780 --> 00:17:27,610 in a number of different ways. 281 00:17:27,610 --> 00:17:28,840 So, on the face of it, 282 00:17:28,840 --> 00:17:31,740 there is not link between Rosslyn Chapel and the Templars. 283 00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:38,100 According to other rumors, 284 00:17:38,100 --> 00:17:41,150 the Templars hid the treasure in a secret chapel 285 00:17:41,150 --> 00:17:43,463 beneath Gisors Castle in Normandy, 286 00:17:44,500 --> 00:17:46,550 which had been governed by the soldier monks 287 00:17:46,550 --> 00:17:47,713 over a century before. 288 00:17:50,610 --> 00:17:54,840 In 1962, Andre Malraux, then the French culture minister, 289 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:57,240 who was intrigued by this affair, 290 00:17:57,240 --> 00:18:00,540 ordered from his office on the Rue de Valois in Paris 291 00:18:00,540 --> 00:18:03,303 a full scale excavation of the site in Gisors. 292 00:18:04,460 --> 00:18:06,590 Digging went on for months, 293 00:18:06,590 --> 00:18:08,930 the castle almost collapsed, 294 00:18:08,930 --> 00:18:10,493 but no treasure was found. 295 00:18:11,380 --> 00:18:16,300 Not the Ark of the Covenant or the Holy Grail, 296 00:18:16,300 --> 00:18:18,723 or even a chest full of gold coins. 297 00:18:20,340 --> 00:18:22,020 The Ark of the Covenant has remained 298 00:18:22,020 --> 00:18:23,920 an object of fascination and fantasy 299 00:18:23,920 --> 00:18:27,540 for treasure hunters and history investigators alike. 300 00:18:27,540 --> 00:18:30,070 All sorts of hypothesis about its location 301 00:18:30,070 --> 00:18:31,360 have been put forward, 302 00:18:31,360 --> 00:18:35,600 giving rise to numerous expeditions and countless tales. 303 00:18:35,600 --> 00:18:37,850 The Templars represent a lead for some, 304 00:18:37,850 --> 00:18:41,763 but so far, without any solid evidence or clues. 305 00:18:45,020 --> 00:18:48,090 As for the Holy Grail, its legend grew in the 13th century 306 00:18:48,090 --> 00:18:50,050 as a mythical object of the quest 307 00:18:50,050 --> 00:18:53,123 of the Knights of the Round Table in Arthurian legend. 308 00:18:55,240 --> 00:18:58,010 This legend stems from one of the most important works 309 00:18:58,010 --> 00:19:00,150 of medieval German literature, 310 00:19:00,150 --> 00:19:03,620 in which the grail, portrayed as a magic stone, 311 00:19:03,620 --> 00:19:05,503 is guarded by the Templars. 312 00:19:07,230 --> 00:19:09,180 The legend of the Holy Grail is therefore 313 00:19:09,180 --> 00:19:11,600 a 13th century literary invention 314 00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:13,473 with no foundation in history. 315 00:19:19,670 --> 00:19:23,423 One question remains: do the Templars still exist? 316 00:19:24,890 --> 00:19:28,163 Some people believe the order survived in freemasonry. 317 00:19:30,110 --> 00:19:31,968 Again, the answer lies in Paris 318 00:19:31,968 --> 00:19:34,905 at the Museum of Freemasonry in the Rue Cadet 319 00:19:34,905 --> 00:19:37,023 in the capital's ninth arrondissement. 320 00:19:42,050 --> 00:19:44,953 A unique and remarkable document is housed here. 321 00:19:46,480 --> 00:19:48,480 It comes from a movement that decided 322 00:19:48,480 --> 00:19:50,693 to restore the Order of the Knights Templar. 323 00:19:51,650 --> 00:19:54,040 The museum contains rare and unique documents 324 00:19:54,040 --> 00:19:57,330 that seem to suggest a continuation of the Templars 325 00:19:57,330 --> 00:19:59,203 in some masonic orders. 326 00:20:00,475 --> 00:20:04,300 In the 1740s, a masonic branch known as 327 00:20:04,300 --> 00:20:06,200 the Order of the Chosen Knight 328 00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:08,955 explained that although they appeared to be masons, 329 00:20:08,955 --> 00:20:11,200 their branch was actually a remnant 330 00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:13,900 and a resurgence of the orders of the Knights Templar. 331 00:20:15,164 --> 00:20:17,650 They went on to say that at the time 332 00:20:17,650 --> 00:20:19,350 of Philip the Fair's persecution 333 00:20:19,350 --> 00:20:22,630 of the Knights Templar in the early 14th century, 334 00:20:22,630 --> 00:20:25,120 a group of wiser or warier Templars 335 00:20:25,120 --> 00:20:27,325 escaped and fled to Scotland, 336 00:20:27,325 --> 00:20:29,775 where they were welcomed by the king of Scotland. 337 00:20:32,790 --> 00:20:34,520 Based on the conventional examination 338 00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:36,150 of historical documents, 339 00:20:36,150 --> 00:20:39,423 we now know this was probably untrue, it was a myth. 340 00:20:40,720 --> 00:20:43,080 But early freemasonry did have very real links 341 00:20:43,080 --> 00:20:45,440 with other medieval chivalric orders 342 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:48,120 which survived until the 18th century, 343 00:20:48,120 --> 00:20:50,193 such as the Order of Saint Lazarus. 344 00:20:53,980 --> 00:20:56,450 Why do we associate freemasonry and chivalry? 345 00:20:56,450 --> 00:20:59,720 Because in the 18th century, in freemasonry in particular, 346 00:20:59,720 --> 00:21:03,300 which would be a sort of birthplace of pre Romantic ideas, 347 00:21:03,300 --> 00:21:04,910 the Order of the Knights Templar 348 00:21:04,910 --> 00:21:07,780 was the largest chivalric order of the Middle Ages, 349 00:21:07,780 --> 00:21:09,080 and when you speak of knights, 350 00:21:09,080 --> 00:21:10,933 the Templars are never far away. 351 00:21:17,900 --> 00:21:20,270 The Templars continue to fuel 352 00:21:20,270 --> 00:21:23,143 astonishing and fascinating mysteries. 353 00:21:25,460 --> 00:21:28,913 Some arouse passions, here's one. 354 00:21:30,550 --> 00:21:34,540 On the flyleaf of a manuscript describing the Templar Order 355 00:21:34,540 --> 00:21:37,750 kept in the National Library of France, 356 00:21:37,750 --> 00:21:42,130 there appears to be rather strange paraliturgical formulas 357 00:21:42,130 --> 00:21:44,440 written by the Templars in the northern 358 00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:46,683 long dialed dialect they used. 359 00:21:48,500 --> 00:21:50,743 For some, it is a secret alphabet. 360 00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:54,620 For others, mysterious practices combining 361 00:21:54,620 --> 00:21:58,423 magic and religion, formulas used to treat horses. 362 00:22:05,310 --> 00:22:07,080 As for the famous curse 363 00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:10,190 Jacques de Molay uttered at the stake, 364 00:22:10,190 --> 00:22:14,970 it was actually made up later to explain the tragic events 365 00:22:14,970 --> 00:22:18,683 befalling the French monarchy, and the country's fate. 366 00:22:21,760 --> 00:22:25,920 Embellished over time, the curse as we know it today 367 00:22:25,920 --> 00:22:30,180 was in fact invented in the mid 20th century 368 00:22:30,180 --> 00:22:35,180 by writer Maurice Druon in his celebrated historical saga, 369 00:22:35,310 --> 00:22:36,753 The Accursed Kings. 370 00:22:38,050 --> 00:22:40,763 This curse is therefore a myth. 371 00:22:49,930 --> 00:22:52,780 For years, the legend of the Templars 372 00:22:52,780 --> 00:22:55,770 was a web of myths and mysteries, 373 00:22:55,770 --> 00:22:59,133 but also of controversies and theories. 374 00:23:03,550 --> 00:23:05,680 The Templars' supposed treasure 375 00:23:05,680 --> 00:23:08,070 continues to be a source of fantasy 376 00:23:08,070 --> 00:23:09,880 for a great many historians 377 00:23:09,880 --> 00:23:12,273 and authors of bestsellers today. 378 00:23:13,460 --> 00:23:17,410 It symbolizes the fascination an age of secrets 379 00:23:17,410 --> 00:23:20,523 and mysteries to be unraveled can hold for us. 380 00:23:21,540 --> 00:23:24,060 But beyond the case of the Templars, 381 00:23:24,060 --> 00:23:27,480 other historical questions remained unanswered. 382 00:23:27,480 --> 00:23:30,050 There are many more investigations to come, 383 00:23:30,050 --> 00:23:33,470 equally strange and mysterious, unresolved, 384 00:23:33,470 --> 00:23:37,040 and sometimes simply unbelievable. 385 00:23:37,040 --> 00:23:39,240 The clues and keys to these enigmas 386 00:23:39,240 --> 00:23:41,030 are to be found in old books, 387 00:23:41,030 --> 00:23:43,570 lost in the capital's libraries, 388 00:23:43,570 --> 00:23:47,140 in the city's streets, or beneath its buildings, 389 00:23:47,140 --> 00:23:49,050 by the light of a candle, 390 00:23:49,050 --> 00:23:50,955 or in the dead of night, 391 00:23:50,955 --> 00:23:55,543 by cross checking documents, archives, and records. 392 00:23:58,270 --> 00:24:02,343 Paris has not yet revealed all of its secrets. 393 00:24:04,235 --> 00:24:06,985 (dramatic music)