The Letter of St Bernard in Modern Day Templarism (original) (raw)

The Order of the Poor Knights of Christ was founded in 1119 by seven French knights in Jerusalem with the purpose of protecting pilgrims to the holy sites. Taking monastic vows of poverty and chastity, the order quickly became a fighting force feared by all of its opponents. One of its early supporters was Cistercian Saint Bernard of Clairvaux who authored the Rule of the Order as well as a letter to extol the virtues and give guidance to its knights. This presentation answers the question of who was Bernard of Clairvaux and examines the letter written in 1130 by Bernard to the Templar Master, extracts the guidance that remains relevant to today’s members of the Order and proposes a modern version of Bernard’s letter that can be used by modern Templars .