Knights Templar – In Hoc Signo Vinces

September 23, 2006

This photograph is of a Masonic Knights Templar symbol showing a cross within a crown inside a Maltese cross, which has the Latin phrase, “in hoc signo vinces.” The phrase means “in this sign you shall conquer” and was used by Constantine as a military motto in the early 4th Century. The phrase was also used by the original Knights Templar military order that was founded during the Crusades. The Freemasons began using Templar rituals and symbols in the late 1700s.

Knights Templar legends and myths are quite popular in movies and books such as The Da Vinci Code, Foucault’s Pendulum, National Treasure, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Some also see parallels between the Jedi Knights of Star Wars and the Knights Templar military order.

Photo: from the mausoleum of Dr. J.G. Locke, Fairmount Cemetery, Denver, Colorado


Knights Templar

August 19, 2006

Knights Templar Cemetery SymbolThe Knights Templar have origins in the Middle Ages as protectors of Christian pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem. Many legends have grown up around this mysterious group, including a connection to the Holy Grail. In the late 18th Century the Freemasons adopted some Knights Templar rites and symbols (some believe there is a connection between the two groups). This explains why Knights Templar symbols found in cemeteries relate to the Freemasons. The symbol here shows a Maltese cross surrounding a cross inside a crown.

The gravestone below shows three Freemason related symbols, from left to right: Freemason, Knights Templar, Shriners.

Grave marker showing three Masonic symbols

Photos: Gravestone of Samuel A. Bonesteel (1842-1902), Fairmount Cemetery, Denver, Colorado