Templars, Holy Grail and Lance
Spear of Destiny The sanctity of Jerusalem is magnified by its being home to holy relics—both the bones of people and sacred objects. One such relic is the Holy Lance,…
Hospitaller and Gothic Architecture
The Hospitaller Order and Gothic Architecture The Hospitaller Order takes its name from the word “hospital.” Indeed, this was an order that, from its inception (and still today), set as…
The Madonna and the Crusades
The Madonna and the Crusades An important element in the motivation of the Crusaders was the veneration of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and of Mary Magdalene. An image of…
Great Queens of Jerusalem
Queen Melisende of Jerusalem The military orders, the Hospitallers and the Templars, received support from the King of Jerusalem, Fulk of Anjou, and especially from his wife, Queen Melisende (1105–1161),…
Church and Knights of the Holy Seoulchre
Queen Melisende's Church of the Holy Sepulchre The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was the object of desire for pilgrims in the Middle Ages. Some sought to undergo a ceremonial…
Armenians Sacred Architecture
The Armenians and Jerusalem in the Middle Ages Throughout history, Armenians played an important role in the middle east, and not just in armenia. As early as the 11th century,…
Joachim of Fiore and Francesco
Joachim of Fiore's New Vision World history was shaped not only by kings and influential people (or orders) but primarily, and most significantly, by ordinary individuals who experienced a vision…
Via Plama Pilgrimage
The Essence and Importance of Pilgrimage The idea of pilgrimage is that at the end of the journey there is something worth the effort—a kind of Holy Grail. The best…
Georgians, Serbs and Ethiopians in Jerusalem
Queen Tamara and Rustaveli in the Monastery of the Cross the beginning of the 13th century, all Christian denominations came on pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and many established their presence in…