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- Tonight, a vast treasure
of gold and sacred relics
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held by a medieval
religious order.
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- The Knights Templar
were the most charismatic,
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powerful order of warriors
in the Middle Ages.
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- They're alleged to
have the Holy Grail,
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the Ark of the Covenant,
the piece of the True Cross,
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all this gold that
they accumulate
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over a couple hundred years.
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- But in 1307 AD,
the Templar treasure
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mysteriously
vanishes, or does it?
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- They fell so quickly
and so spectacularly,
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and we don't know what
happened after that.
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Where did all the wealth go?
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- Now, we explore
the top theories
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surrounding the Knights
Templar and its secret hoard.
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- The place where they
dig is called Oak Island.
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- He says that he saw the
Templars smuggle this treasure
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and that it took 50
horses to move all of it.
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- There was interest
in Templar treasure
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from a very sinister source,
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the Third Reich
and Adolf Hitler.
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- Does the Templar's treasure
still exist and if so,
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where is it?
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(dramatic music)
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November 1095, Pope Urban
calls on all Christians
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to take up arms against Muslims
who control the Holy Land.
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- Christian Army set off
on what's going to be
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the first of eight crusades.
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They marched through modern
day Turkey, Constantinople,
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and what is today,
Syria, Antioch.
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- There was a massive response,
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probably about 100,000 people
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from all walks of life,
mostly from the nobility,
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but the poor, even Churchmen
left their monasteries
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in order to go on this Holy War.
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- Pope Urban II wants to
liberate the Holy Land.
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He wants to liberate Jerusalem
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and the most holy sites for
Christians from Muslim rule.
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- Then they set their sights
on the holy city of Jerusalem.
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It involves a siege process
that lasts about a month,
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and by July of 1099,
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they have breached the
walls of Jerusalem itself.
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- [Laurence] The Holy Land
and all its famed sites
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are now back in the control
of the Catholic church.
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- This is a huge deal
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because these are the holiest
places in Christian lore
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and people come from all over.
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They come from Italy,
from England, from France.
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Pilgrims want to go now,
to visit the holy places.
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- [Laurence] But that
brings a new challenge.
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- Then as now, travelers
were easy prey, especially
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in a world in which there's
no such things as ATMs
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or travelers checks
or credit cards.
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You're gonna need money.
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You're gonna need goods
for several months.
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You're easy targets for robbers.
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There's no Motel 6, there's
no local police forces
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or things like that,
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and so you have all
sorts of pilgrims
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who now are being murdered
on the way to Jerusalem.
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- I mean, literally
the roads to Jerusalem
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are littered with the
skeletons, the pilgrims.
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- [Laurence] In 1119,
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with the blessing of
the Catholic church,
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a French knight in Jerusalem
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forms a security force
to protect the pilgrims.
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They call themselves
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the Poor Knights of the
Temple of King Solomon,
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but will soon become known
simply as the Knights Templar.
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- This is a monastic order and
they take the vow of poverty,
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the vow of chastity,
the vow of obedience.
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So you have these Poor
Knights, but that will create
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one of the wealthiest
orders in the world.
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- This idea of fighting for God
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and the Holy Land really
captures the imagination
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of the Christian world and
the Templars embody that.
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They attract donations
from all over Christendom
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and this transforms them
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into one of the most powerful
forces of the period.
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- The Knights Templar were
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the most charismatic, powerful
order in the Middle Ages.
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Both priests and the bravest
soldiers in the crusades,
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they really capture
the spirit of the age,
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and particularly in Rome
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where the Popes shower
privileges on them.
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They're not answerable to
kings, to princes, to dukes.
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They're only answerable
directly to the Pope in Rome.
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- [Laurence] The
Templars' fortune grows
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through their steady
stream of donations.
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They also acquire
vast estates, castles,
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and cathedrals all over Europe.
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- They're involved in
all kinds of sectors
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of the European economy.
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They're in manufacturing,
they're getting mills.
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They're getting all kinds of
donations from wealthy donors,
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so they're not just a group
of knights with swords.
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There's an entire
intricate financial system
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that's supporting that.
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- It spans all
sorts of countries,
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and it may be in fact
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the world's first
multinational corporation.
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- [Laurence] The
Templars have outposts
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throughout Christendom
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and go on to create the world's
first modern banking system.
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- They set up a system
of effectively banking
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in which if you were a pilgrim,
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you could make a deposit at
a commandery or an outpost,
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and then you would have
a script you could redeem
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when you get to Jerusalem,
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and you were good for
it when you got there.
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- These Templar commanderies,
they are banks,
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but they're not ordinary banks.
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I mean, they're fortresses.
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Example, the Paris Temple
looms over the city.
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I mean, it's enormous.
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The only thing I can
think of to describe it
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is the castle of Disneyland.
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You know, it's that kind of
presence in the landscape.
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- And so, its banking system
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that will allow pilgrims
to travel without resource.
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That way, they're less
attractive to robbers.
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Nothing to take.
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- Pilgrims from all
over Europe feel safer
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because they're protected
by the Templar Knights.
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- When the Templars
established themselves
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as a presence in Jerusalem,
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they're given the Al-Aqsa
Mosque as their headquarters
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built upon the
Templar of Solomon.
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It's on the Temple Mount.
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It's one of the most holy places
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of all three major
religions in the world.
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- This is the platform that
was once the foundation
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for King Herod's massive temple.
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Underneath rumored to be
lots of holy treasures.
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So having got there,
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the Templars start digging
below to find that treasure.
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- During work in that
area, the story goes,
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the Knights Templar discovered
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two extremely important items
for the Christian faith,
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the Holy Grail and the
Ark of the Covenant.
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And so they had not
only wealth, but relics.
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- [Laurence] But in 1187 AD,
things change for the Templars.
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- Crusades continue
for centuries
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and in 1187, the Muslims
re-conquer Jerusalem.
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So those pilgrimage sites
are now under Muslim control
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and Christians are
forbidden from being there.
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And the function the
Knights Templar had
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of protecting the
pilgrims of the Holy Land
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shifts dramatically in 1187
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when you can't make
that pilgrimage anymore.
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- [Laurence] The Templars
are forced out of Jerusalem.
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- The Knights Templar flee
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and presumably take all of
their treasure with them.
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That would've included perhaps
the Ark of the Covenant,
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the Holy Grail, and gold.
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- [Laurence] They move
their headquarters
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to the port city of Acre,
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about a hundred miles north
in what is now Israel.
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- Acre is a tremendously
important city
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because it's a meeting
point between east and west
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on one of the major trade routes
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from all the way to
China at the time.
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So it was a very wealthy city,
and so it was well defended.
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- They have a massive
fortification there.
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It's got 20 foot thick walls.
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It's the most
formidable fortress
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on the Mediterranean
at that time.
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- [Laurence] After a
century based in Acre,
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in 1291, the Templar fortress
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is attacked by Muslim fighters.
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A servant to the Templars
named the Templar of Tyre
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writes of the battle
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and even makes reference
to the fabled treasure.
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- So the Templar of Tyre is one
of the important chroniclers
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from the late period
of the Templars.
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He does record the last
battles the Templars have.
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- He describes the chaos
of a medieval siege
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as the enemy has
now broken through.
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He describes a main tower
with four golden lions
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at each corner, and then
another older treasure tower,
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which clearly has been
built to protect something.
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- [Laurence] The Templars'
fortress may be strong,
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but they are cornered
with no way out,
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and the treasure seems
to be in imminent danger
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of being seized.
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- If Templars brought
the sacred treasures
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from Jerusalem to Acre,
and if, at that battle,
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the Knights had to
leave in such a hurry
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that they weren't able to take
all that treasure with them,
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then there's the
exciting possibility
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their treasure could
still be there.
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(dramatic music)
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- One of the great
things about the Templars
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is they're great builders,
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and this goes back to
the Temple of Solomon,
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you know, this amazing structure
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that forms part of their
name of the Knights Templar.
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- The Templar of Tyre describes
how the Templars construct
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these magnificent castles,
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and presumably that is where
the Templar treasure is stored.
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We know this because we
have surviving examples.
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- Templar castles
would shape the way
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castles were built
all over Europe.
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Obviously Acre was
a model of that,
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a fist of iron and stone
right there on the coast.
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And the Templars
didn't just build
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these elaborate
fortifications up above ground
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to protect cities like Acre,
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but they also built
tunnels underground
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as a part of their
defense strategy.
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- [Laurence] Is it possible
the treasure is still there,
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just underground?
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In 2019, a team decides to
search using new technology.
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- What the LIDAR
technology is able to do
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is to create a 3D image of
the remains of the fortress
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underneath today's housing,
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so you get a much
clearer picture
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of what was originally there.
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- [Laurence] The LIDAR
technology helps plot
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what the Templar fortress
originally looked like.
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- The team has been able to
approximate, more or less,
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where the original Templar
treasure tower stood,
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and we get a much clearer idea
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of where the Holy Grail
may once have been kept.
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- [Laurence] But if gold
and priceless relics
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are buried here,
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they won't be
recovered anytime soon.
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- Governments can be finicky
about digging under things,
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especially a place like Israel
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where there's so much archeology
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and so much stuff
has been dug up.
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- [Laurence] But another
discovery, this one in 1994,
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reveals more about
what's underneath Acre.
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- There's a blocked sewer pipe,
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they get a plumber to come,
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and he discovers this tunnel
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that no one's known
about for 800 years.
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It's a tunnel from the fortress
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that goes almost 500
feet out into the city,
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which is a really good way of
smuggling things in and out.
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- [Laurence] Could it
be that at one time,
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the treasure was under Acre,
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but that it was on
route to somewhere else?
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- What we know from
historical records
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is that the last Templar there,
246
00:11:56,333 --> 00:11:58,292
the Grand Master,
Guillaume de Beaujeu,
247
00:11:58,375 --> 00:12:02,208
dies in that defense
of the siege of Acre.
248
00:12:02,292 --> 00:12:04,667
- According to accounts,
Thibaud Gaudin,
249
00:12:04,750 --> 00:12:07,000
the Deputy to the
Templar Grand Master,
250
00:12:07,042 --> 00:12:08,500
Guillaume de Beaujeu,
251
00:12:08,667 --> 00:12:11,417
was told, get all
that sacred treasure,
252
00:12:11,542 --> 00:12:13,708
take it into the tunnels,
253
00:12:13,833 --> 00:12:16,125
and for God's sakes,
get it out of Acre.
254
00:12:20,042 --> 00:12:22,125
- [Laurence] The Knights
Templar held immense wealth
255
00:12:22,208 --> 00:12:23,958
during their 200 year existence.
256
00:12:24,042 --> 00:12:25,875
But after their fortress in Acre
257
00:12:25,958 --> 00:12:29,292
falls to Muslim
marauders in 1291,
258
00:12:29,375 --> 00:12:33,167
the Templar treasure
seems to disappear,
259
00:12:33,292 --> 00:12:35,333
it's fate a mystery.
260
00:12:35,375 --> 00:12:38,125
Is it possible that
they escaped with it?
261
00:12:38,208 --> 00:12:41,708
- The thought was that they
could get these valuable items,
262
00:12:41,792 --> 00:12:45,208
meaning the Ark of the
Covenant, the Holy Grail,
263
00:12:45,292 --> 00:12:47,333
or any of the other
Templar treasure,
264
00:12:47,375 --> 00:12:48,917
out of the treasure tower
265
00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:52,417
through one of these
subterranean tunnels
266
00:12:52,500 --> 00:12:54,167
and spirit them away.
267
00:12:54,208 --> 00:12:57,000
- They're able to bring the
treasures they have out of Acre
268
00:12:57,083 --> 00:12:58,333
because you have to remember,
269
00:12:58,375 --> 00:13:00,917
they have fortresses
throughout Europe,
270
00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:02,208
so they've got places,
271
00:13:02,292 --> 00:13:04,000
so does some of the
treasure go here?
272
00:13:04,083 --> 00:13:05,792
Does some of the
treasure go there?
273
00:13:07,500 --> 00:13:08,958
- [Laurence] As the legend goes,
274
00:13:09,042 --> 00:13:12,667
the Templars look to the next
safest place for the treasure.
275
00:13:12,750 --> 00:13:14,667
- France is an obvious place.
276
00:13:14,708 --> 00:13:16,833
This is where their
founders came from,
277
00:13:16,875 --> 00:13:19,875
and it's kind of the nerve
center of the Templars.
278
00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:22,000
- France has changed
279
00:13:22,125 --> 00:13:25,167
when the Templars return
in the 13th century.
280
00:13:25,250 --> 00:13:27,500
King Philip IV was
heavily in debt
281
00:13:27,583 --> 00:13:29,458
because of his war with England.
282
00:13:29,542 --> 00:13:31,042
It was a costly war,
283
00:13:31,125 --> 00:13:34,500
and Philip IV had actually
looked to the Templars for help.
284
00:13:34,625 --> 00:13:36,458
He was deeply indebted to them.
285
00:13:37,708 --> 00:13:40,542
- This is sort of an
uncomfortable situation
286
00:13:40,625 --> 00:13:42,250
as he's looking at
this increasingly
287
00:13:42,333 --> 00:13:45,500
powerful organization
within his own kingdom.
288
00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:49,333
- King Philip says, oh,
we should get rid of them.
289
00:13:49,458 --> 00:13:52,125
And by the way, that means
my debt is canceled to them,
290
00:13:52,250 --> 00:13:53,333
and by the way,
291
00:13:53,375 --> 00:13:56,542
I can get their goods
and take their treasure.
292
00:13:56,625 --> 00:13:58,958
- In the Middle Ages, if you
want to discredit somebody,
293
00:13:59,042 --> 00:14:00,583
you say that they're a heretic.
294
00:14:00,667 --> 00:14:01,958
You say that they're a witch.
295
00:14:02,042 --> 00:14:03,917
And this is exactly
what King Philip says
296
00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:05,833
about the Templars.
297
00:14:05,875 --> 00:14:08,333
He says that they
are worshiping Satan,
298
00:14:08,375 --> 00:14:11,333
that they are engaged in
illicit sexual practices
299
00:14:11,375 --> 00:14:12,375
with each other.
300
00:14:13,625 --> 00:14:15,250
- The misinformation campaign
301
00:14:15,333 --> 00:14:17,833
against the Templars
really does work
302
00:14:17,917 --> 00:14:20,333
because public support
for these knights,
303
00:14:20,458 --> 00:14:24,375
which was once so strong,
now completely craters.
304
00:14:25,958 --> 00:14:28,875
- [Laurence] On
October 13th, 1307,
305
00:14:28,958 --> 00:14:31,708
King Philip IV gives
orders to arrest
306
00:14:31,708 --> 00:14:35,417
and imprison all
Knights Templar.
307
00:14:35,542 --> 00:14:38,000
- That order goes into effect
throughout Christendom,
308
00:14:38,125 --> 00:14:39,542
but there is one place in France
309
00:14:39,625 --> 00:14:42,750
where the Templars are not
arrested and imprisoned.
310
00:14:42,833 --> 00:14:44,125
- [Laurence] Could
this be the place
311
00:14:44,208 --> 00:14:45,792
where they keep their treasure?
312
00:14:45,875 --> 00:14:48,292
(dramatic music)
313
00:14:50,375 --> 00:14:52,000
- The village of
Rennes-le-Chateau
314
00:14:52,083 --> 00:14:54,250
has a very interesting history.
315
00:14:54,333 --> 00:14:58,208
The Templars have taken what
they had in all of Europe,
316
00:14:58,292 --> 00:15:00,667
and this organization
has been reduced
317
00:15:00,750 --> 00:15:02,667
to this isolated community
318
00:15:02,708 --> 00:15:06,542
that really is in many ways
insulated from the church.
319
00:15:06,667 --> 00:15:10,667
And this relationship
develops with the locals,
320
00:15:10,750 --> 00:15:12,708
even extending
into a relationship
321
00:15:12,792 --> 00:15:14,625
with the Count of Barcelona.
322
00:15:14,708 --> 00:15:18,417
- [Laurence] Fast forward six
centuries to the late 1890s
323
00:15:18,417 --> 00:15:21,417
and to a small church
in Rennes-le-Chateau
324
00:15:21,417 --> 00:15:24,167
sitting in the shadow
of the Templar Castle,
325
00:15:24,208 --> 00:15:26,375
high on the hill above.
326
00:15:26,458 --> 00:15:30,167
- There's a little church
dedicated to Mary Magdalene
327
00:15:30,250 --> 00:15:34,958
and run by a parish priest
called Berenger Sauniere.
328
00:15:35,042 --> 00:15:37,250
And he wants to
renovate this church.
329
00:15:37,333 --> 00:15:40,542
And the story goes that
when he's supervising
330
00:15:40,667 --> 00:15:44,708
the renovation of the
area around the altar,
331
00:15:44,792 --> 00:15:47,250
he sees something incredible.
332
00:15:47,333 --> 00:15:51,000
- What he finds is sealed in
wax in one of the pillars,
333
00:15:51,083 --> 00:15:56,458
and has three wooden cylinders
with parchment inside.
334
00:15:56,542 --> 00:15:58,417
- [Laurence] The parchments
are said to contain
335
00:15:58,500 --> 00:16:01,250
complex ciphers and
coded messages.
336
00:16:01,375 --> 00:16:03,667
That's not the only
strange discovery
337
00:16:03,708 --> 00:16:05,250
during the renovation.
338
00:16:05,333 --> 00:16:08,042
- Story goes, when
construction workers
339
00:16:08,125 --> 00:16:10,000
are working on a hallway
340
00:16:10,042 --> 00:16:12,167
in an entirely different
part of the church,
341
00:16:12,250 --> 00:16:15,208
they unearth this clay pot
342
00:16:15,292 --> 00:16:19,875
and within it are gold coins
and a necklace, a bracelet,
343
00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:23,708
and most intriguingly,
a gold cup.
344
00:16:23,833 --> 00:16:26,333
- [Laurence] Could the Templars
have buried their treasure
345
00:16:26,458 --> 00:16:30,042
in different parts of the
Church of Mary Magdalene,
346
00:16:30,125 --> 00:16:32,250
and could the
parchments provide clues
347
00:16:32,375 --> 00:16:35,000
as to where the
rest of it might be?
348
00:16:35,083 --> 00:16:37,125
- He's really excited
with the parchments
349
00:16:37,208 --> 00:16:38,667
that he's discovered,
350
00:16:38,750 --> 00:16:40,417
so he takes them to Paris
351
00:16:40,500 --> 00:16:43,417
to be deciphered by
church officials,
352
00:16:43,500 --> 00:16:46,333
but then he returns and
he's a different man.
353
00:16:46,375 --> 00:16:48,500
He's not talking
about it anymore.
354
00:16:48,542 --> 00:16:51,167
- He doesn't say anything
about the hidden meaning
355
00:16:51,167 --> 00:16:52,958
of these parchments,
356
00:16:53,042 --> 00:16:55,250
but all of a sudden,
he's got a lot of money
357
00:16:55,333 --> 00:16:58,458
and he spends it on the
renovations of the church.
358
00:16:58,583 --> 00:17:00,333
- [Laurence] After
his return from Paris,
359
00:17:00,375 --> 00:17:04,125
Sauniere will spend
almost 700,000 francs
360
00:17:04,208 --> 00:17:06,083
in two decades time,
361
00:17:06,167 --> 00:17:10,000
the equivalent of
over $4 million today.
362
00:17:10,083 --> 00:17:11,875
- Not only did he
spend thousands
363
00:17:11,958 --> 00:17:13,750
and thousands of
francs just renovating
364
00:17:13,875 --> 00:17:15,792
the church at Rennes-le-Chateau,
365
00:17:15,875 --> 00:17:17,292
there's an estimate that says,
366
00:17:17,375 --> 00:17:21,000
well, he spends 36,000 francs
building his own estate,
367
00:17:21,125 --> 00:17:23,792
which is an astronomical
amount of money,
368
00:17:23,875 --> 00:17:26,083
especially in the 19th century.
369
00:17:27,458 --> 00:17:30,958
- The mystery of Sauniere's
wealth continues to intrigue us
370
00:17:31,042 --> 00:17:35,208
because we just don't know if
he had the Templar treasure,
371
00:17:35,292 --> 00:17:38,000
had access to part of
the Templar treasure,
372
00:17:38,083 --> 00:17:41,167
or if he only sold
the parchments
373
00:17:41,250 --> 00:17:43,583
that he found in
the parish church.
374
00:17:45,667 --> 00:17:47,708
- [Laurence] Sauniere
keeps his mouth shut
375
00:17:47,833 --> 00:17:51,250
until the end of his life
when he entrusts the secret
376
00:17:51,375 --> 00:17:55,167
to his loyal housekeeper.
Marie Denarnaud.
377
00:17:55,292 --> 00:17:57,667
- Marie Denarnaud is
the only one that knows
378
00:17:57,708 --> 00:18:00,042
what's the secret to
this fabulous wealth
379
00:18:00,125 --> 00:18:02,458
that this little
parish priest has.
380
00:18:03,708 --> 00:18:05,292
But unfortunately,
381
00:18:05,375 --> 00:18:10,042
she dies in 1953 of a
sudden and massive stroke.
382
00:18:10,125 --> 00:18:12,500
So the secret dies with her.
383
00:18:13,875 --> 00:18:16,958
Did Sauniere come by this wealth
through the Templar treasure,
384
00:18:17,042 --> 00:18:20,583
or did he get his money in a
very different kind of way?
385
00:18:20,708 --> 00:18:22,667
- [Laurence] Sauniere spent
the last several years
386
00:18:22,708 --> 00:18:24,000
of his priesthood
387
00:18:24,083 --> 00:18:26,250
under suspicion by the
church for a practice
388
00:18:26,333 --> 00:18:28,833
called selling masses.
389
00:18:28,958 --> 00:18:30,667
- So there is the possibility
390
00:18:30,792 --> 00:18:33,333
that what the priest was
actually trying to mask
391
00:18:33,458 --> 00:18:36,000
was his own criminal activity.
392
00:18:36,042 --> 00:18:41,250
Selling masses, a church crime
that goes back centuries.
393
00:18:42,250 --> 00:18:43,667
- When people are
selling masses,
394
00:18:43,750 --> 00:18:46,083
the priest is charging,
effectively, admission
395
00:18:46,208 --> 00:18:48,083
to come into the church
and to be present
396
00:18:48,208 --> 00:18:50,000
when the miracle of
the Eucharist happens,
397
00:18:50,125 --> 00:18:52,042
when the mass is celebrated.
398
00:18:52,125 --> 00:18:53,833
The church has been very
clear in its teaching
399
00:18:53,958 --> 00:18:55,375
that this should never happen,
400
00:18:55,458 --> 00:18:57,167
but teaching and reality
401
00:18:57,292 --> 00:18:59,125
are very different
things sometimes.
402
00:18:59,208 --> 00:19:01,458
- [Laurence] If Sauniere
didn't get the treasure,
403
00:19:01,542 --> 00:19:04,333
could it still be
here in the church?
404
00:19:04,375 --> 00:19:06,000
- It was purported
that one of the things
405
00:19:06,042 --> 00:19:07,958
she said before her death
406
00:19:08,042 --> 00:19:10,333
was that the people
of Rennes-le-Chateau
407
00:19:10,375 --> 00:19:14,083
were walking on gold
and didn't even know it.
408
00:19:14,167 --> 00:19:17,042
Is that a cryptic indication
409
00:19:17,125 --> 00:19:22,750
it's the location of
the Templar treasure?
410
00:19:22,750 --> 00:19:24,250
- [Laurence] At the
height of their power
411
00:19:24,333 --> 00:19:25,750
in the 13th century,
412
00:19:25,833 --> 00:19:29,000
the Knights Templar hold
fortresses across Europe.
413
00:19:29,083 --> 00:19:32,625
Experts believe any one of
them could hold their treasure,
414
00:19:32,708 --> 00:19:37,167
but for some, clues point
overwhelmingly to one.
415
00:19:37,250 --> 00:19:38,708
- Outside of France,
416
00:19:38,792 --> 00:19:41,458
the Knights Templar had
influence in Portugal.
417
00:19:41,542 --> 00:19:46,292
And keep in mind that Portugal
was an area of intense battle
418
00:19:46,375 --> 00:19:48,917
between Christians and Muslims,
419
00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:52,458
and the Knights Templar were
helping Christian fighters
420
00:19:53,458 --> 00:19:54,833
take back the area.
421
00:19:56,250 --> 00:19:59,167
- [Laurence] In 1160 AD,
the small town of Tomar
422
00:19:59,250 --> 00:20:02,333
becomes the Templars'
Portuguese headquarters.
423
00:20:02,417 --> 00:20:04,917
- There is a Templar
Grand Master in Portugal,
424
00:20:05,042 --> 00:20:06,625
Gualdim Pais.
425
00:20:06,708 --> 00:20:10,167
His statue still dominates
the main square in Tomar.
426
00:20:10,250 --> 00:20:12,458
And this battle scarred figure
427
00:20:12,542 --> 00:20:17,417
oversees the construction of
a Templar fortress in Tomar.
428
00:20:17,500 --> 00:20:21,125
- And inside this fortress is
the Convent of Christ Church,
429
00:20:21,208 --> 00:20:23,833
which is a UNESCO
World Heritage site.
430
00:20:23,917 --> 00:20:26,750
- Gualdim Pais is famous in part
431
00:20:26,833 --> 00:20:29,000
because of this church
he builds at Tomar
432
00:20:29,042 --> 00:20:30,833
called the Round Church.
433
00:20:30,917 --> 00:20:32,875
It has 16 sides, built that way
434
00:20:32,958 --> 00:20:35,792
so the Templars could
attend mass on horseback.
435
00:20:35,875 --> 00:20:38,208
- And this was done
so they could be ready
436
00:20:38,292 --> 00:20:41,458
to ride out at a
moment's notice.
437
00:20:44,417 --> 00:20:46,500
- [Laurence] But in July 1190,
438
00:20:46,583 --> 00:20:49,208
Tomar is surrounded
by Muslim forces
439
00:20:49,292 --> 00:20:51,375
determined to take
the city back.
440
00:20:51,458 --> 00:20:55,583
- They are attacked,
and during that battle,
441
00:20:55,708 --> 00:20:59,500
the Templars defend Tomar
and they defeat them.
442
00:20:59,583 --> 00:21:03,042
So the defense of Tomar is
a really important moment
443
00:21:03,125 --> 00:21:04,333
for the Templars,
444
00:21:04,417 --> 00:21:07,583
and it establishes
Gualdim Pais as a hero
445
00:21:07,708 --> 00:21:09,208
in Templar lore.
446
00:21:09,333 --> 00:21:11,500
Tomar is a landmark site
because of that victory,
447
00:21:11,625 --> 00:21:13,917
and many believe this
would've been a place
448
00:21:14,042 --> 00:21:16,792
where the Templars would
have kept their treasure.
449
00:21:16,875 --> 00:21:19,542
(dramatic music)
450
00:21:22,500 --> 00:21:25,167
- [Laurence] A major
discovery in the 1960s
451
00:21:25,250 --> 00:21:28,167
might lend credence
to that theory.
452
00:21:28,208 --> 00:21:29,625
- In the 1960s,
453
00:21:29,708 --> 00:21:32,125
you had all sorts of
treasure hunters in Europe,
454
00:21:32,250 --> 00:21:34,250
but you didn't have
the same kinds of laws
455
00:21:34,333 --> 00:21:35,958
that we have today
about antiquities
456
00:21:36,042 --> 00:21:39,500
and taking antiquities out of
one place to another place.
457
00:21:39,625 --> 00:21:41,250
And so they're
essentially grave robbers
458
00:21:41,333 --> 00:21:44,042
looking for Roman artifacts.
459
00:21:44,125 --> 00:21:45,500
So you have these
treasure hunters
460
00:21:45,542 --> 00:21:48,292
who are at the Convent of
Christ Church in Tomar.
461
00:21:49,792 --> 00:21:53,667
They dig into a grave and
they pull out two caskets.
462
00:21:53,750 --> 00:21:56,042
But what they find isn't Roman,
463
00:21:56,125 --> 00:21:58,208
it's something
quite extraordinary.
464
00:21:58,333 --> 00:22:00,708
There's a chalice
that's obsidian.
465
00:22:00,833 --> 00:22:04,000
There's a reliquary
to hold relics.
466
00:22:04,083 --> 00:22:07,542
There's a sword that has a
Templar design and a cross,
467
00:22:07,625 --> 00:22:09,458
but they don't know what it is,
468
00:22:09,542 --> 00:22:12,542
and so they sell it
off piece by piece.
469
00:22:12,667 --> 00:22:16,667
But clearly what they find
are Templar artifacts.
470
00:22:17,708 --> 00:22:21,167
- [Laurence] This collection,
now known as the Tomar Hoard,
471
00:22:21,208 --> 00:22:25,042
is believed to be one of the
only stashes of Templar relics
472
00:22:25,125 --> 00:22:26,542
ever found.
473
00:22:26,667 --> 00:22:29,417
- You have treasure hunters
digging up the whole place.
474
00:22:29,542 --> 00:22:33,667
So, much of the hoard left
Portugal, sadly, in the 1960s,
475
00:22:33,708 --> 00:22:36,958
but over the last
decade, Templar hunters,
476
00:22:37,042 --> 00:22:40,333
Carl Cooksen and Hamilton
White, have been striving
477
00:22:40,417 --> 00:22:44,750
to bring all these items
back into one place,
478
00:22:44,750 --> 00:22:46,875
and they now have achieved that.
479
00:22:48,208 --> 00:22:50,000
- And so you have a scholar,
Jonathan Tokley Parry,
480
00:22:50,083 --> 00:22:52,917
who looks at the Tomar
Hoard to authenticate
481
00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:54,958
where these things
come from and says,
482
00:22:55,042 --> 00:22:56,375
yes, this is authentic.
483
00:22:56,458 --> 00:22:58,542
This actually does go
back to the Templars,
484
00:22:58,542 --> 00:23:01,333
that this is part of the
treasure the Templars had.
485
00:23:01,417 --> 00:23:03,417
- And we know that
because due to aging,
486
00:23:03,500 --> 00:23:06,083
the items inside
have a certain amount
487
00:23:06,167 --> 00:23:07,833
of calcium deposits on them,
488
00:23:07,875 --> 00:23:10,500
and this helps to
date these items
489
00:23:10,583 --> 00:23:14,208
that do indeed date back
to the Templar period.
490
00:23:14,333 --> 00:23:18,167
What we can't say with
absolute certainty
491
00:23:18,250 --> 00:23:19,833
is that they were
put in the ground
492
00:23:19,875 --> 00:23:21,792
by the Knights
Templar themselves.
493
00:23:23,417 --> 00:23:25,000
- [Laurence] In their
search for more evidence,
494
00:23:25,042 --> 00:23:28,417
Cooksen and White make
a startling discovery.
495
00:23:28,500 --> 00:23:29,833
- During their research,
496
00:23:29,917 --> 00:23:33,417
Cooksen and White discovered
that in the 1930s,
497
00:23:33,500 --> 00:23:36,542
there was interest in
Templar treasure in Tomar
498
00:23:36,625 --> 00:23:39,500
from a very sinister source,
499
00:23:39,583 --> 00:23:43,792
the Third Reich
and Adolf Hitler.
500
00:23:45,792 --> 00:23:48,333
- For Hitler, it was
not only the wealth
501
00:23:48,333 --> 00:23:49,792
for a financing of war,
502
00:23:49,875 --> 00:23:51,583
but think of what
these objects were,
503
00:23:51,708 --> 00:23:54,000
the Ark of the Covenant,
the Holy Grail.
504
00:23:54,042 --> 00:23:55,667
If you have those objects,
505
00:23:55,750 --> 00:23:57,333
you have control over people
506
00:23:57,458 --> 00:23:59,833
for whom those
objects are valuable,
507
00:23:59,875 --> 00:24:01,667
and you know, the
Germans were Christian.
508
00:24:01,750 --> 00:24:03,625
And so having the Holy Grail,
509
00:24:03,708 --> 00:24:05,417
the most important
symbol for Christendom
510
00:24:05,500 --> 00:24:06,708
in Hitler's possession
511
00:24:06,792 --> 00:24:08,917
would've been a huge
source of power for him.
512
00:24:09,958 --> 00:24:13,542
And so he sent basically Nazi
treasure hunters to Portugal
513
00:24:13,625 --> 00:24:15,583
to try and find this treasure.
514
00:24:17,375 --> 00:24:20,625
And Hitler assigned
some of his best people,
515
00:24:20,708 --> 00:24:23,125
including a troop led
by Heinrich Himmler,
516
00:24:23,208 --> 00:24:27,000
and we have reports of
them searching in Portugal.
517
00:24:27,042 --> 00:24:29,875
- But by all accounts,
they came up empty handed.
518
00:24:31,542 --> 00:24:34,208
So it's another quarter of
a century after the Nazis
519
00:24:34,208 --> 00:24:35,958
have been digging
around in Tomar
520
00:24:36,042 --> 00:24:38,792
that we get these Templar
hunters turning up.
521
00:24:38,875 --> 00:24:41,792
But neither party
seems to have found
522
00:24:41,875 --> 00:24:44,208
the Ark of the Covenant,
the Holy Grail,
523
00:24:44,333 --> 00:24:46,542
or any of the other
Templar treasure.
524
00:24:46,625 --> 00:24:49,000
So as things stand today,
525
00:24:49,083 --> 00:24:51,333
it looks like the Templars
526
00:24:51,417 --> 00:24:56,125
either took whatever they had
away or it's still buried.
527
00:25:00,542 --> 00:25:02,583
- In the eight centuries
since the Knights Templar
528
00:25:02,708 --> 00:25:04,833
fled Jerusalem, many
theories have surfaced
529
00:25:04,917 --> 00:25:07,625
about where their mysterious
treasure could be.
530
00:25:07,708 --> 00:25:10,583
Some believe it remains
in what's now Israel.
531
00:25:10,667 --> 00:25:13,500
Others suggest it could
be in Portugal or France,
532
00:25:13,625 --> 00:25:16,417
all former Templar strongholds.
533
00:25:16,500 --> 00:25:19,833
But what if the treasure was
taken somewhere more surprising,
534
00:25:19,875 --> 00:25:22,083
to a place where the
Templars were certain
535
00:25:22,208 --> 00:25:23,667
that no one would look?
536
00:25:24,917 --> 00:25:26,250
- It's where they've believed
537
00:25:26,333 --> 00:25:29,250
they will be able to
hide their treasure away.
538
00:25:29,333 --> 00:25:31,333
And unlike other
parts of Europe,
539
00:25:31,458 --> 00:25:33,500
there weren't that
many prying eyes
540
00:25:33,583 --> 00:25:35,750
looking at what the
Templars were up to
541
00:25:35,833 --> 00:25:39,458
because it's very much on the
fringes of the Templar world.
542
00:25:39,542 --> 00:25:42,208
(dramatic music)
543
00:25:44,583 --> 00:25:46,167
- There's a legend
that the Templars
544
00:25:46,208 --> 00:25:49,250
had gone to Western Poland
from Paris to seek safety,
545
00:25:49,333 --> 00:25:52,208
to seek refuge, both for the
Templars and the treasure.
546
00:25:53,875 --> 00:25:56,667
- The Templars arrive
in Poland in 1232
547
00:25:56,792 --> 00:26:00,250
when they're given land around
the town of Chwarszczany
548
00:26:00,333 --> 00:26:01,708
on the Mysla River,
549
00:26:01,792 --> 00:26:04,917
which is just a stone's
throw from the German border.
550
00:26:05,042 --> 00:26:08,042
And the Templars started
building this chapel
551
00:26:08,042 --> 00:26:09,333
of St. Stanislaus,
552
00:26:09,375 --> 00:26:12,042
and it most likely took
many decades to complete.
553
00:26:15,125 --> 00:26:17,042
- In the aftermath
of these arrests,
554
00:26:17,125 --> 00:26:21,750
on Friday the 13th, 1307, there
is sort of a ripple effect
555
00:26:21,833 --> 00:26:24,667
across the Templar
realm of influence
556
00:26:24,708 --> 00:26:27,625
so that everywhere the
Templars had extended influence,
557
00:26:27,708 --> 00:26:29,958
from Western Europe
as far as the reaches
558
00:26:30,042 --> 00:26:33,917
of what is today,
Poland, ceased to exist.
559
00:26:34,917 --> 00:26:36,708
Fearing for their own safety,
560
00:26:36,875 --> 00:26:40,708
many Templars fled and would've
taken whatever treasure
561
00:26:40,792 --> 00:26:42,000
they had with them.
562
00:26:42,083 --> 00:26:45,042
What became of that treasure?
563
00:26:45,167 --> 00:26:46,375
That's the big question.
564
00:26:47,917 --> 00:26:50,792
- The story goes
that the treasure
565
00:26:50,875 --> 00:26:55,458
found its way to Chwarszczany
with a small band of Templars
566
00:26:55,542 --> 00:26:57,083
and medieval documents
567
00:26:57,167 --> 00:27:01,667
described the well near the
chapel of St. Stanislaus,
568
00:27:01,792 --> 00:27:04,833
and it's rumored that the
chapel has an entrance
569
00:27:04,917 --> 00:27:06,292
to a secret tunnel.
570
00:27:09,542 --> 00:27:11,667
- Friday the 13th
is significant.
571
00:27:11,708 --> 00:27:14,875
That's the date the
arrest take place.
572
00:27:14,958 --> 00:27:17,875
So facing arrest,
the Knights Templar,
573
00:27:17,958 --> 00:27:21,333
under the cover of darkness,
took the Holy Grail
574
00:27:21,375 --> 00:27:23,292
and other valued materials
575
00:27:24,583 --> 00:27:26,417
and sunk them in a nearby lake.
576
00:27:28,167 --> 00:27:29,917
- [Laurence] The lake
dried up long ago,
577
00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:32,167
and no treasure has
been found there,
578
00:27:32,250 --> 00:27:35,000
but the theory that the
treasure made it somewhere
579
00:27:35,125 --> 00:27:38,583
in Chwarszczany continues
to attract attention,
580
00:27:38,667 --> 00:27:41,708
including interest from
a local archeologist.
581
00:27:41,792 --> 00:27:43,625
- Fast forward 700 years,
582
00:27:43,708 --> 00:27:48,000
in 2004, an archeologist,
Przemyslaw Kolosowski,
583
00:27:48,083 --> 00:27:50,542
brought a team of archeologists
584
00:27:50,542 --> 00:27:53,500
to conduct tests and excavations
585
00:27:53,625 --> 00:27:55,667
at the Chapel of St. Stanislaus.
586
00:27:55,792 --> 00:27:57,833
What the team were
hoping to discover
587
00:27:57,875 --> 00:28:01,208
was a Templar fortress
underneath this chapel.
588
00:28:01,292 --> 00:28:05,667
What they found instead
was a cobbled floor,
589
00:28:05,750 --> 00:28:07,875
and that was pretty much it.
590
00:28:07,958 --> 00:28:09,792
- [Laurence] But then,
one of the archeologists
591
00:28:09,875 --> 00:28:12,708
notices a small
rectangular depression
592
00:28:12,792 --> 00:28:14,833
beneath the cobblestone.
593
00:28:14,875 --> 00:28:17,250
The team brings in
ground penetrating radar
594
00:28:17,333 --> 00:28:18,833
for a better look.
595
00:28:18,875 --> 00:28:21,750
What they find shocks them.
596
00:28:21,750 --> 00:28:24,625
- They find seven vaulted crypts
597
00:28:24,708 --> 00:28:27,625
that could date back
to the Templar times.
598
00:28:27,625 --> 00:28:29,000
These vaults are empty,
599
00:28:29,083 --> 00:28:31,667
which of course leads
people to wonder,
600
00:28:31,750 --> 00:28:33,292
what could have been there?
601
00:28:35,125 --> 00:28:37,042
- Then another discovery is made
602
00:28:37,125 --> 00:28:40,583
of a secret tunnel under
the town of Mysliborz,
603
00:28:40,667 --> 00:28:43,833
not far from the chapel
of St. Stanislaus.
604
00:28:43,917 --> 00:28:46,750
And between this
tunnel at Mysliborz
605
00:28:46,833 --> 00:28:49,167
and the chapel of St. Stanislaus
606
00:28:49,208 --> 00:28:51,833
is the dry lake bed
where some believe
607
00:28:51,958 --> 00:28:53,958
the Templars hid their treasure.
608
00:28:54,042 --> 00:28:56,167
So we have this chapel,
609
00:28:56,250 --> 00:29:00,958
we have the entrance to a
subterranean medieval vault.
610
00:29:01,042 --> 00:29:03,333
We have the lake
where the treasure
611
00:29:03,375 --> 00:29:05,292
may have been buried
under cover of night,
612
00:29:05,375 --> 00:29:10,583
and then in a nearby town, we
have this inexplicable tunnel.
613
00:29:10,708 --> 00:29:13,750
So local people are
absolutely convinced
614
00:29:13,875 --> 00:29:16,833
that there is a secret that
the Knights left there.
615
00:29:18,875 --> 00:29:20,750
- [Laurence] But despite
these discoveries,
616
00:29:20,875 --> 00:29:24,000
no treasure has been
found in Poland to date.
617
00:29:25,042 --> 00:29:27,167
- What these discoveries
point to is the tremendous
618
00:29:27,250 --> 00:29:30,208
building abilities of
the Knights Templar.
619
00:29:30,292 --> 00:29:32,917
But what these tunnels
and what these locations
620
00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:36,167
were actually used for is
a matter of speculation.
621
00:29:42,042 --> 00:29:44,083
- [Laurence] Most of the Knights
Templar brought to Paris
622
00:29:44,208 --> 00:29:46,667
after the arrests in 1307
623
00:29:46,792 --> 00:29:49,333
refused to talk
under interrogation.
624
00:29:49,375 --> 00:29:51,208
But one did,
625
00:29:51,292 --> 00:29:54,833
and he paints a vivid picture
of the treasure's movement.
626
00:29:57,375 --> 00:30:01,167
- Confessions were extorted
under terrible torture
627
00:30:01,250 --> 00:30:03,875
from individual Knights Templar.
628
00:30:03,958 --> 00:30:06,167
One of them, Jean de Chalons,
629
00:30:06,292 --> 00:30:10,458
claimed that the treasure was
taken from the Paris Temple
630
00:30:10,542 --> 00:30:14,000
was extremely strongly
fortified building,
631
00:30:14,083 --> 00:30:17,917
undercover of night, down
to the Port of La Rochelle.
632
00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:20,417
And there were waiting ships.
633
00:30:20,500 --> 00:30:24,500
- He says that he saw the
Templars smuggle this treasure
634
00:30:24,583 --> 00:30:27,583
and that it took 50
horses to move all of it.
635
00:30:27,667 --> 00:30:28,833
When they arrived at the port,
636
00:30:28,958 --> 00:30:31,458
they had 18 ships
waiting for them,
637
00:30:31,542 --> 00:30:34,833
and the treasure was loaded
up and they sailed off.
638
00:30:36,042 --> 00:30:39,333
- Because of where they
were in eastern France,
639
00:30:39,375 --> 00:30:42,417
historians speculate that
the ships leaving there
640
00:30:42,417 --> 00:30:44,125
would've gone to Scotland
641
00:30:44,208 --> 00:30:46,667
as a place that they
could defend easily,
642
00:30:46,750 --> 00:30:48,250
because of course,
it's an island.
643
00:30:49,292 --> 00:30:50,583
- [Laurence] According
to the story,
644
00:30:50,708 --> 00:30:53,000
when the Templars
arrive in Scotland,
645
00:30:53,042 --> 00:30:55,333
a war of independence
is underway.
646
00:30:55,458 --> 00:31:00,042
They find an ally in the
Scottish king, Robert the Bruce.
647
00:31:00,125 --> 00:31:02,167
- And there's a legend
that Robert the Bruce
648
00:31:02,250 --> 00:31:05,375
fought alongside the Templars
at the Battle of Bannockburn,
649
00:31:05,458 --> 00:31:07,792
and it was a major
victory for Scotland
650
00:31:07,875 --> 00:31:09,917
in the war for independence.
651
00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:12,667
- It's said that Robert
the Bruce was so grateful
652
00:31:12,708 --> 00:31:16,083
to the Templars for helping
him to defeat the English,
653
00:31:16,167 --> 00:31:18,458
that he gave them privileges,
654
00:31:18,458 --> 00:31:21,167
he gave them titles,
he gave them lands,
655
00:31:21,250 --> 00:31:24,417
he helped them to
regroup, reassemble,
656
00:31:24,500 --> 00:31:27,292
and find their strength
again in Scotland.
657
00:31:28,625 --> 00:31:30,500
And one of the places associated
658
00:31:30,542 --> 00:31:35,000
with the Templars in Scotland
is the small town of Rosslyn,
659
00:31:35,083 --> 00:31:37,750
and it's there that
the Sinclair family,
660
00:31:37,833 --> 00:31:40,000
an aristocratic
family in Scotland
661
00:31:40,083 --> 00:31:43,375
who developed close
bonds with the Templars
662
00:31:43,458 --> 00:31:48,042
also built this intriguing,
fascinating chapel.
663
00:31:49,208 --> 00:31:51,083
- The Sinclair family
is also connected
664
00:31:51,208 --> 00:31:52,417
with Robert the Bruce.
665
00:31:52,542 --> 00:31:55,083
So you have a direct
lineage of this family
666
00:31:55,208 --> 00:31:58,000
with the Templars and the
chapel that they built.
667
00:31:58,167 --> 00:32:00,917
And so you get this story
beneath this chapel,
668
00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:03,125
there is a secret
vault that contains
669
00:32:03,208 --> 00:32:05,292
those treasures of
the Knights Templar.
670
00:32:05,375 --> 00:32:07,417
(dramatic music)
671
00:32:11,208 --> 00:32:15,375
- Some refer to Rosslyn
as a Grail Chapel.
672
00:32:15,500 --> 00:32:18,000
What they mean by
that is it was a place
673
00:32:18,042 --> 00:32:20,667
where the Templars
brought the Holy Grail.
674
00:32:21,708 --> 00:32:25,375
And the story goes that it
was buried under the nave,
675
00:32:25,542 --> 00:32:26,917
under flags stands,
676
00:32:27,042 --> 00:32:31,917
and kept in place with sand
brought from Jerusalem,
677
00:32:32,042 --> 00:32:35,958
and that it may also
include the True Cross
678
00:32:36,042 --> 00:32:39,833
upon which Jesus Christ
was crucified in Jerusalem.
679
00:32:39,917 --> 00:32:42,458
(tense music)
680
00:32:42,542 --> 00:32:45,542
- It is an amazingly
detailed little chapel
681
00:32:45,667 --> 00:32:47,042
with the kinds of iconography
682
00:32:47,125 --> 00:32:49,042
that you would expect
to the Templars.
683
00:32:49,875 --> 00:32:51,250
In the chapel,
684
00:32:51,333 --> 00:32:53,208
there are marvelous images
of singers and musicians,
685
00:32:53,292 --> 00:32:55,167
and so there's a story that says
686
00:32:55,250 --> 00:32:56,833
if you stand in
front of this wall,
687
00:32:56,875 --> 00:33:00,625
which is believed through the
wall that leads to the vault,
688
00:33:00,708 --> 00:33:03,625
and you play a particular
note on that instrument,
689
00:33:04,833 --> 00:33:06,958
that will cause
the wall to open.
690
00:33:08,458 --> 00:33:10,750
- [Laurence] No one has
yet cracked that code
691
00:33:10,833 --> 00:33:12,625
or found any treasure.
692
00:33:13,833 --> 00:33:16,000
- This whole idea about Rosslyn
693
00:33:16,083 --> 00:33:19,000
being central to the story
of the Templar treasure
694
00:33:19,042 --> 00:33:22,000
really only gained
traction in the 1980s
695
00:33:22,125 --> 00:33:24,208
with the publication
of a bestseller
696
00:33:24,292 --> 00:33:26,375
called Holy Blood Holy Grail,
697
00:33:26,500 --> 00:33:29,333
and then 20 years later, of
course, The Da Vinci Code.
698
00:33:30,375 --> 00:33:32,375
- Rossyln Chapel is
actually the final setting
699
00:33:32,375 --> 00:33:34,708
for the closing chapter
of The Da Vinci Code.
700
00:33:34,792 --> 00:33:38,458
This is where the entire
conspiracy comes unraveled,
701
00:33:38,583 --> 00:33:42,833
where it is realized
that the Holy Grail
702
00:33:42,917 --> 00:33:45,500
is in fact not located
at Rosslyn Chapel,
703
00:33:45,542 --> 00:33:47,667
but the Holy Grail
actually represents
704
00:33:47,708 --> 00:33:49,333
Mary Magdalene herself.
705
00:33:49,417 --> 00:33:51,792
- The Da Vinci Code is a
really compelling story,
706
00:33:51,792 --> 00:33:55,875
but I think we need to remember,
it is ultimately fiction.
707
00:33:56,000 --> 00:33:57,375
- [Laurence] But even
if Rosslyn Chapel
708
00:33:57,458 --> 00:33:59,458
doesn't hold the
treasure itself,
709
00:33:59,542 --> 00:34:02,833
could it hold the key
to where it is now?
710
00:34:02,917 --> 00:34:06,792
- One of the images that
appears in stone at Rosslyn
711
00:34:06,875 --> 00:34:09,042
are ears of corn.
712
00:34:09,125 --> 00:34:11,833
You may think, that's
unspectacular.
713
00:34:11,875 --> 00:34:15,667
But what you'd remember is that
corn didn't arrive in Europe
714
00:34:15,750 --> 00:34:19,917
until Christopher Columbus
got to the Americas in 1492,
715
00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:21,917
and crops that had
never been seen before
716
00:34:22,000 --> 00:34:23,958
suddenly arrived in Europe.
717
00:34:24,042 --> 00:34:26,625
So how does the Sinclair family,
718
00:34:26,708 --> 00:34:31,250
when they're building
Rosslyn Chapel in the 1450s,
719
00:34:31,375 --> 00:34:34,750
decades before Columbus
gets to America,
720
00:34:34,833 --> 00:34:37,167
how do they know about corn?
721
00:34:38,542 --> 00:34:41,542
So consider this, going
back to the Sinclair family,
722
00:34:41,542 --> 00:34:44,583
so Henry Sinclair, a
friend of the Templars
723
00:34:44,708 --> 00:34:48,167
and also an able seaman
in his own right,
724
00:34:48,208 --> 00:34:50,500
he helps the Templars
take the treasure
725
00:34:50,583 --> 00:34:54,500
out of Rosslyn Chapel, and
using his fleet of 12 ships,
726
00:34:54,625 --> 00:34:58,750
they set sail, bound
for the Americas.
727
00:35:02,792 --> 00:35:04,208
(dramatic music)
728
00:35:04,375 --> 00:35:06,417
- [Laurence] After traversing
the Middle East and Europe
729
00:35:06,500 --> 00:35:09,750
in search of the fabled
treasure of the Knights Templar,
730
00:35:09,875 --> 00:35:13,750
could searchers be looking
on the wrong continent?
731
00:35:13,833 --> 00:35:16,667
A discovery centuries after
the Templars disbanded
732
00:35:16,708 --> 00:35:19,833
suggests the possibility
that the treasure
733
00:35:19,917 --> 00:35:24,250
could be thousands of miles
across the Atlantic Ocean.
734
00:35:26,542 --> 00:35:31,167
- In 1795, on an island off
the coast of Nova Scotia,
735
00:35:31,208 --> 00:35:34,250
a man called Daniel
McKinnis and his friends
736
00:35:34,375 --> 00:35:37,667
stumbled upon something
on a particular spot
737
00:35:37,708 --> 00:35:41,750
that piques their curiosity and
they go to discover further.
738
00:35:45,125 --> 00:35:47,167
And so they start excavating
739
00:35:47,250 --> 00:35:49,792
with a great deal of enthusiasm.
740
00:35:49,875 --> 00:35:53,167
And the place where they
dig is called Oak Island.
741
00:35:53,208 --> 00:35:55,792
(dramatic music)
742
00:35:58,750 --> 00:36:02,250
- As they dig, they uncover
stones on top of planks.
743
00:36:02,375 --> 00:36:03,667
They continue to dig
744
00:36:03,750 --> 00:36:06,750
and they find more
stones on top of planks.
745
00:36:07,917 --> 00:36:12,167
They understood this to
be a human construction.
746
00:36:12,250 --> 00:36:14,208
- They go as far as they can,
747
00:36:14,292 --> 00:36:15,708
but then, you know,
their technology,
748
00:36:15,792 --> 00:36:17,292
they can't go any further.
749
00:36:18,333 --> 00:36:21,500
And so they build a
company with these partners
750
00:36:21,583 --> 00:36:23,500
to help continue on digging.
751
00:36:26,958 --> 00:36:28,875
- [Laurence] The
digging continues
752
00:36:28,958 --> 00:36:30,542
and at the 90 foot mark,
753
00:36:30,667 --> 00:36:35,292
they find a large stone
engraved with strange symbols,
754
00:36:35,417 --> 00:36:38,667
their meaning, as yet, unknown.
755
00:36:38,792 --> 00:36:41,667
- This area becomes
known as the money pit,
756
00:36:41,750 --> 00:36:44,250
and you can see that in
two very different ways.
757
00:36:45,583 --> 00:36:47,333
Is it the money pit because
at the bottom of this pit,
758
00:36:47,417 --> 00:36:49,292
is the money, the treasure?
759
00:36:49,375 --> 00:36:50,583
Or is it the money pit
760
00:36:50,667 --> 00:36:52,583
because you've
poured so much money
761
00:36:52,667 --> 00:36:54,500
into this trying to
find the treasure
762
00:36:54,500 --> 00:36:57,292
that you're never gonna
get your money back?
763
00:36:57,375 --> 00:37:01,292
- Since Daniel McKinnis's
discovery two centuries ago,
764
00:37:01,375 --> 00:37:04,250
a long line of
researchers and explorers
765
00:37:04,333 --> 00:37:07,042
have invested resources
on Oak Island.
766
00:37:07,125 --> 00:37:09,292
- A whole range of people
767
00:37:09,375 --> 00:37:12,458
have turned up looking for
treasure in the money pit,
768
00:37:12,542 --> 00:37:16,833
and they include a young
Franklin Delano Roosevelt,
769
00:37:16,875 --> 00:37:19,292
future President of
the United States.
770
00:37:21,542 --> 00:37:23,750
- [Laurence] It isn't
until the 1980s
771
00:37:23,833 --> 00:37:27,833
when a big discovery begins
to point to Templar origins.
772
00:37:28,875 --> 00:37:33,333
- In the 1980s, there's a real
game changer of a discovery.
773
00:37:33,417 --> 00:37:37,333
And that is a series
of boulder-like stones.
774
00:37:38,458 --> 00:37:42,708
And when seen from above,
they're shaped as a cross.
775
00:37:42,833 --> 00:37:45,542
Now this points to
Templar activity.
776
00:37:46,500 --> 00:37:47,958
- [Laurence] More
wooden structures
777
00:37:48,042 --> 00:37:49,333
are then found underground
778
00:37:49,375 --> 00:37:51,875
in the second half
of the 20th century.
779
00:37:52,000 --> 00:37:54,708
Chisel marks indicate
the work was completed
780
00:37:54,833 --> 00:37:58,042
before the invention
of modern tools.
781
00:37:58,125 --> 00:37:59,333
- If we think about it,
782
00:37:59,375 --> 00:38:02,667
the Knights Templar
were crushed in 1307.
783
00:38:02,792 --> 00:38:07,375
Now, Christopher Columbus
arrives in the Americas in 1492,
784
00:38:07,458 --> 00:38:09,292
so we've got a big gap.
785
00:38:10,375 --> 00:38:12,250
- Columbus was certainly
not the first European
786
00:38:12,375 --> 00:38:14,583
to set foot on American shores.
787
00:38:14,667 --> 00:38:16,208
There was a Viking
presence there,
788
00:38:16,333 --> 00:38:18,000
probably for like,
a hundred years
789
00:38:18,083 --> 00:38:19,750
in the midst of the Middle Ages.
790
00:38:22,583 --> 00:38:26,583
- Going back to the Henry
Sinclair around 1398,
791
00:38:26,667 --> 00:38:30,875
some accredited Sinclair
was discovering Nova Scotia,
792
00:38:30,958 --> 00:38:32,958
which is New Scotland.
793
00:38:34,208 --> 00:38:36,792
So it's possible that
the Sinclair family
794
00:38:36,875 --> 00:38:40,500
held on to the Templar
treasure at Rosslyn Chapel,
795
00:38:40,542 --> 00:38:42,333
which they built
for that purpose,
796
00:38:42,458 --> 00:38:44,625
before then, at
the right moment,
797
00:38:44,708 --> 00:38:47,000
setting sail with
it for the Americas.
798
00:38:48,042 --> 00:38:52,417
The timeline, the geography
make this all feasible,
799
00:38:52,542 --> 00:38:56,333
that the Templar treasure
was taken from Scotland
800
00:38:56,417 --> 00:38:59,667
and then eventually
deposited into the money pit.
801
00:39:04,208 --> 00:39:06,625
(dramatic music)
802
00:39:06,708 --> 00:39:09,500
- [Laurence] In 2006,
search intensifies
803
00:39:09,542 --> 00:39:12,208
when brothers Rick
and Marty Lagina
804
00:39:12,292 --> 00:39:15,208
purchase controlling
interests of Oak Island.
805
00:39:15,292 --> 00:39:17,667
They begin following
the old clues
806
00:39:17,708 --> 00:39:19,875
and discovering new
ones of their own.
807
00:39:22,625 --> 00:39:24,875
- One of the more
compelling discoveries
808
00:39:24,875 --> 00:39:28,417
was a lead cross with a
kind of loop at the top
809
00:39:28,500 --> 00:39:31,458
that has been scientifically
analyzed and dated.
810
00:39:34,500 --> 00:39:38,000
And they do date back to
the Knights Templar period.
811
00:39:40,417 --> 00:39:43,333
And it's a period of
history on Oak Island
812
00:39:43,375 --> 00:39:44,458
when there's not known
813
00:39:44,542 --> 00:39:46,542
to have been any
other human activity.
814
00:39:46,625 --> 00:39:49,542
- I mean, Oak Island does
seem to be kind of the place
815
00:39:49,625 --> 00:39:52,125
where you go to look for
things that shouldn't be there,
816
00:39:52,208 --> 00:39:53,375
but maybe they're there,
817
00:39:53,458 --> 00:39:55,042
so who knows what
they'll find next.
818
00:39:57,042 --> 00:40:00,250
- [Laurence] It's that
dazzling array of possibilities
819
00:40:00,333 --> 00:40:01,958
that has kept the
treasure hunters
820
00:40:01,958 --> 00:40:05,500
coming back to the mystery
of the Templar treasure.
821
00:40:06,542 --> 00:40:08,000
- I think one of the things
822
00:40:08,042 --> 00:40:10,792
that people find fascinating
about the Templars,
823
00:40:10,875 --> 00:40:14,625
even to this day, is the fact
that they fell so quickly
824
00:40:14,625 --> 00:40:16,542
and so spectacularly,
825
00:40:16,667 --> 00:40:19,417
and we don't know, kind of
what happened after that.
826
00:40:19,542 --> 00:40:21,333
It seems like it
should have continued,
827
00:40:21,458 --> 00:40:22,625
or there should have
been something
828
00:40:22,708 --> 00:40:24,000
that happened afterwards
829
00:40:24,125 --> 00:40:26,667
or some sort of resistance
or something there.
830
00:40:26,750 --> 00:40:30,167
And so we're just wondering,
where did all the wealth go?
831
00:40:30,208 --> 00:40:32,542
- The Templars captured
the imagination of Europe
832
00:40:32,667 --> 00:40:36,042
at the time, and continues to
be both revered and reviled
833
00:40:36,167 --> 00:40:37,333
down through the centuries.
834
00:40:37,375 --> 00:40:39,792
Authors have made them
villains and heroes
835
00:40:39,875 --> 00:40:42,583
like some of the Robin Hood
legends and things like that.
836
00:40:42,667 --> 00:40:44,917
- The Templar treasure
is so powerful
837
00:40:45,000 --> 00:40:48,292
because you're dealing not
just with physical treasure,
838
00:40:48,375 --> 00:40:50,583
with gold, silver, jewels.
839
00:40:50,667 --> 00:40:52,625
You're dealing with
people's faith.
840
00:40:52,708 --> 00:40:55,292
You're dealing with
religious matters,
841
00:40:55,375 --> 00:40:57,833
not just simply worldly goods.
842
00:40:57,917 --> 00:40:59,792
- They were this
huge organization,
843
00:40:59,875 --> 00:41:01,500
commanderies all over the place.
844
00:41:01,542 --> 00:41:03,333
They had a massive
number of people.
845
00:41:03,458 --> 00:41:05,500
They had massive
influence across Europe,
846
00:41:05,500 --> 00:41:07,625
and then it was suddenly gone.
847
00:41:07,708 --> 00:41:10,125
We have a hard time wrapping
our heads around that.
848
00:41:12,542 --> 00:41:15,667
- Is the treasure of the Knights
Templar still out there?
849
00:41:15,792 --> 00:41:18,000
And what priceless
relics does it hold?
850
00:41:18,083 --> 00:41:21,458
For now, the search
continues for this mysterious
851
00:41:21,583 --> 00:41:24,042
and allegedly vast hoard.
852
00:41:24,125 --> 00:41:25,625
I'm Laurence Fishburne.
853
00:41:25,708 --> 00:41:29,833
Thank you for watching
History's Greatest Mysteries.
854
00:41:29,875 --> 00:41:32,667
(dramatic music)
68634
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