I find it interesting that, even before I knew much about European history, I was drawn to the idea of Medieval Paris.

And yet, in order to find Templar history in Paris, we need to look beneath the fancy trappings. You see, my first physical visit (in 2000) held little resemblance to the familiar place in my imagination. It was disorienting and disappointing, because Paris had been the headquarters of the Templar Order for almost two hundred years in the 12-13th centuries.

I wondered why I recognized nothing except Notre Dame. Why did I feel such a cognitive dissonance? It was only when I visited the Cluny museum, that I began to understand that the medieval city of Paris and the Templar history were long gone. Templar presence had been buried beneath centuries of rubble and events passed under the bridges crossing the Seine River.

Baroque style was lovely, but did not resonate with me emotionally. Versailles could not hold a candle to the Musée de Cluny du Moyen Âge. Then, a short distance north of Paris I found the Abbey of St Denis. It was the earliest example of gothic architecture from the mid 12th century, innovated by Bernard of Clairvaux’s longtime friend, Abbot Suger. But I kept searching for signs…

Later on, I realized that some places still bear historical name places that existed before the French Revolution. Old Paris had been torn down, rebuilt and cleaned up in the image of geometrically balanced ideals. Not a bad idea, but perhaps short sighted… Nothing has been ‘restored’ to preserve its historic provenance. Templar medieval structures that had survived through the ages and even the revolution were raised to build the new Paris. Thankfully, traces of medieval Louvre Fortress were excavated and preserved beneath the Louvre museum. But more on that in a bit!

Square du Temple – Of all Paris’ romantic streets, my favorite is Rue du Temple, leading from the Seine to the Square du Temple. This bustling part of the 3rd ARR was once the French speaking Headquarters of the Knights of the Temple of Solomon. But now only a small city park remains with with no direct mention of them. There is only a quiet garden memorializing Jewish children lost in the holocaust of World War II. 

It is now a botanical garden for contemplating simple joys near a small pond and gazebo. It is a veiled, yet heart rendering, tribute to the suffering wrought by authoritarian occupation of Paris and France at large.

During my visit to this sacred place, I found myself contemplating the layers of feelings collected through the centuries into this place. Beneath the profound grief and suffering caused through the past seven centuries of domination and authoritarianism, I discovered an abiding love of humanity and compassion for our collective struggles to live together in peace and good will.

Square du Temple – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_du_Temple

Next Stop: the Louvre Museum… now home of some of the more cherished French treasures. Yet, many do not know that this massive complex was once home to a fortress palace, built during the reign of King Philip II in the 12th century, with the help of the Templars. It was built into the city wall to protect Paris from English attacks.

It’s difficult to imagine Paris being small enough to fit inside the city walls, approximately 1.5 miles across. But it was crowded and ‘rough around the edges’ compared to other cities in 13th century Europe. To experience original archeological remains, don’t miss the Louvre crypt that reveals foundations of its original fortress.

Then, last but not least is the memorial of Jacques de Molay, the last grand master of the Templar Order, who was executed March 14, 1314… burned at the stake by his long time friend, King Philip IV. The execution site is below Pont Neuf, west of Notre Dame,

In future posts, I hope to share a few more Templar sites that I’ve run across in my travels, some of which are referenced in my the first two books of the Temple Chronicles, “The Häling and the Scottish Templars” & “Voyage of the Templar Guardians.“ This Templar story begins in historic Scotland and continues in England, before journeying into the Mediterranean. My third book (still in creation process) will cover even more sites related to the final years of the Templar Order.

Happy Exploring!