This painting was made after an indepth research into my quest to determine the secrets that were whisked away in the wagon wane that caused such distress to the King of France and Pope Clement V. Mysterious findings of the Templars that could threaten the existence of the Catholic Church. The result is my unpublished manuscript, “The Sinking Ship Of Peter.”

The Knights Templar was established to protect Christian's travels to the city of Jerusalem after the First Crusade (1095 – 1099). The Templars later became a powerful political and military force in both Palestine and Europe. Templars traditionally wore a white tunic with a red cross on it.

French nobleman Hugh de Payens founded the Poor Knights of Christ in 1119 with eight of his companions. The order was founded in Jerusalem and it occupied the stable beneath the Temple of Solomon. As a result, it soon acquired the popular name Knights Templar or simply Templar.

In 1128 the pope granted the order a charter, and the famous Cistercian monk Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) fashioned a rigorous rule for the Templars modeled on that of his own order. Bernard's rule governed the Templars” daily duties and outlined a simple, religious way of life. The Templar spent part of each day in prayer, and they observed the monastic vows, of chastity and obedience.

Only the highest rank, the knight was permitted to wear the order's distinctive clothing, a white tunic with a red Latin Cross. The first duties of the order included providing military escorts to religious pilgrims making the journey from the Mediterranean to Jerusalem. However, as the Templars' popularity increased in the 12 th century, they developed into a formidable band of knights. Numbering around 20,000 at their peak. The Templars established fortresses in many cities in Palestine, France, England and came to be very important in defending the Crusaders states.

To speed the movement of funds between their various outposts, they developed a sophisticated banking system. Since the Templars were one of the few groups strong enough to safely transport money to and from the Holy Land, Western kings, nobles, and merchants came to rely upon them for this service. As a result, the Knights gradually became bankers for a large part of Europe and amassed great wealth and power.

Long-standing resentment of the order's vast wealth now grew. At the same time, rumors (alleged to have been started by the King and Pope) began to spread that the order's members engaged in immoral behavior and in religious practices forbidden by the Church. In 1307 King Philip IV (The Fair) of France vowed decisively against the Knights. With the permission Of Pope Clement V, Philip imprisoned the order's grand master, Jacques de Molay, who was convicted and burned at the stake. Many of the Knights in France were forced to confess to blasphemy and devil worship. The secrets of the Knights were last seen being loaded into a wagon wane and many escaped in the Knights shipping fleet to England and there help David the Bruce of Scotland fight the British.

It has been suggested that Philip IV took these actions because he was severely short of money and found himself able to remedy this problem at the expense of the Templars.