The Knights Templar Graves were an integral part of Da Vinci Code; and while much rumors and myths have been going on about this holy militia, only a few of their graves have been uncovered. As such, new graves have been discovered which were believed to have come from the Knights Templar members.
Knights Templar Graves
The Knights Templar was popularized by the book and movie Da Vinci Code, but it was actually a real holy militia that existed in the 12th century. Recently, the graves of some of its members were discovered in an English village church.
The medieval order was believed to have played an integral role in the Crusades. It was also believed that they had chapters in places like Britain and across Europe.
Edward Spencer Dyas, a historian, was the one who found the eight graves believed to have belonged to members of the Knights Templar. The gravers were found in Staffordshire, at the Church of St. Mary's in Enville.
Mr. Dyas believes that the discovery could be very important because of how it was connected to the Middle Ages' "greatest knight" of England. The historian previously discovered three members at St. Mary's Church; but recently, he found an additional five graves.
The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown is a novel that was turned into a film that starred Tom Hanks. The film circled around Scotland's Rosslyn Chapel and the search for treasure hidden by the Knights Templar.
The "greatest knight" of England refers to William Marshal, who became the 1st Earl of Pembroke. He was a known warrior, diplomat, jouster, and on two separate occasions, became the de facto king.
The legend of William Marshal was also greatly used as inspiration for Lancelot in the Arthurian tales. His accomplishments also include drafting the Magna Carta; and in 1219, he passed away at the age of 73 and was buried in London's Temple Church.
On his deathbed, William Marshal was invested in the Knights Templar's order. In relation to St. Mary's, there were depictions of coats of arms that were believed to have been the property of a person who married Marshal's granddaughter, Mortimer of Chelmarsh.
Mystery of Templar Graves
Much mystery remains as to why the graves of members of the Knights Templar were buried in St. Mary's church, which was built in the early 12th century when the Preceptories were just being created by the Templars. The church was located on the Black Country's outskirts.
Each grave found included a standard Templar design with two circles around a Templar cross. One of the graves was also found to have had a Crusader cross, suggesting that the person to whom the grave belonged was part of the Templars and Crusaders.
Some of the graves also had a different version of the Jerusalem Cross called the Templar Cross, which revealed that the unknown knight was once involved in the Templar Order at Temple Mount, Jerusalem.
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