The Templars, The Shroud,The Veil and the Mandylion - Part 1

Article © 1999-2005 Chev. John Ritchie KGOT.
Militi Templi Scotia, SMOTJ. OSMTH

Continued From Part One

During his lifetime he had distinguished himself in the service of the first Valios King of France Philip VI, and had been given the accolade, he became a knight of St.Denis.

This was also the period, when the young Scottish Lords and knights with their exiled king David Son of Bruce, created the Garde Ecosse the Scottish bodyguard to the Valios Kings of France. A Balliol was on the Scottish throne sponsored by his gracious feudal superior. Edward the Third of England. David the second had paid dear for Scotland's Sovereignty.

Geoffrey de Charney Kt. was buried in the chapel of St.Denis with great honours. Shortly before his death he had founded a church at Lirey, near Troyes, which he clearly intended as a shrine for the Shroud, although this was never revealed during his lifetime. He probably intended to make a full public account of how he came to possess the Shroud, his reputation for gallantry and high standing with the King of France would have made this possible. Unfortunately he was killed before he was ready to make these revelations. Subsequently his widow and his son (another Geoffrey de Charney) carried out his wishes and made a weekly public exhibition of the Shroud in the church at Lirey. They were soon attacked by two French Bishops who accused them of forging the Shroud and perpetuating a fraud upon the public, and ordered them to cease expositions of the Shroud. Then a most incredible thing happened. The Pope of that time and the Cardinal Papal Legate both ordered the Bishops concerned to hold their peace and remain silent on the matter, under pain of undisclosed disciplinary measures. The Bishops obeyed and lapsed into dismayed silence. Were the Pope and the Legate privy to secret knowledge and evidence pertaining to the origins of the Shroud? They were obviously aware of the importance of the Shroud; Geoffrey de Charney's widow and his son (also Geoffrey de Charney) continued to display the Shroud once a week but, remained silent about its provenance. However, the accusations of fraud and forgery continued from various sources. So Madame de Charney and her son decided that it was necessary to place the Shroud into the hands of someone powerful enough to ensure its safety. They decided upon the Duke and Duchess of Savoy to whom they were distantly related.

The Duke was immensely wealthy, powerful and was influential in Rome, principally because he was related to the Pope. They were both devout Christians.

The combination of all these factors were irresistible and in due course the ducal family of Savoy, became the heritors of the Shroud, which is now lodged in Turin Cathedral. King Umberto of Italy, as the descendant of the Duke and Duchess and as head of the Royal House of Savoy, is the present legal Heritor of the Shroud. Many will dispute the authenticity of the Shroud, but a great deal of faith has been invested in this image.

We have been discussing the Turin Shroud, which only very recently was saved from a disastrous fire in the Cathedral. Now I would like to turn your attention to the Mandylion. If the Mandylion and the Veil of St.Veronica is one and the same sacred object, then as I have previously stated there is a strange reference within Rosslyn Chapel. The reference is a sculptured tableau on top of a pillar cornice, which includes a headless figure holding up the veil with the image of Christ. It has been suggested that the head was removed from the figurine by some later desecrator however it is difficult to tell since there was a cement wash applied in the nineteenth century. The other figures within the group have yet to be identified but more than a few suggestions have been promulgated, but no firm conclusions have been drawn. However the reference to the veil is unmistakable. Veronica stands holding up a sheet with the bearded head image clearly visible on the centre of held sheet.

Why has this strange subject found its path into Rosslyn's cornucopia of historical carvings ?,since very few had knowledge about the Veil, at the time of Rosslyn chapel's construction in 1440-50.

One explanation for the carving being in Rosslyn could be that Sir Gilbert Hay who had spent many years as a learned scholar at the French court, became tutor to William Sinclair who built the chapel, this is only one explanation there are others. Some no doubt, would have us believe that like every other missing historic relic, it is stored in the vault.

Rosslyn Chapel has many such references, after all it is the only building in the world which can be said to be a mediaeval book in stone, unfortunately it was written in a code with the symbolism of the period. Although many knowledgeable people and authors alike, believe that they may have translated paragraphs or passages, the chapters and the book as a whole remains an enigma to us, an enigma which may in time give us its key. For the present we have the reading abilities of a three year old child.

To return to the principle subjects of this piece, it was normal in the Mediaeval period for Kings princes, bishops, religious bodies and individual churches to acquire sacred Christian relics ensuring for these churches and monasteries and other groups a fruitful source of revenue from continuous visitations of pilgrims with their donations for blessings and other benefits. The holier the relic the greater the distinction and power of the possessor and of course the greater the revenue. It was quite common for religious groups to steal relics from each other and such conduct was recorded throughout the Medieval period. There was also a widespread traffic in forged and bogus relics, at time there were enough slivers of the True cross to build a fair sized boat, and enough nails which were said to have secured Christ to the cross, to have held this boat together. Christians of all ranks were filled with burning desire to possess such relics, and King Philip La Belle was no exception, indeed his avarice surpassed most of the European monarchy.

What can be said with certainty is that the Shroud is not the Veil of Veronica ,the Vale was the cloth said to have be given by Veronica to wipe the sweat from the Living Christ on his way to Calvary, whereas the Shroud was said to be the winding sheet of the crucified Christ. The difference here is highly significant, the Veil is not a death mask it is an effigy of the Christ the mortal, the miracle maker in torment for the sins of man. The, Shroud is the death mask of Christ before the resurrection, and is a full body image.

There has been much speculation about the authenticity of the Shroud, but very little scepticism or speculation about the Vale of Veronica. It is my considered view that the Veil of Veronica and the Mandylion are one and the same, and that the Templar image of the head may be from the same source. Other sources suggest it is possible that the Baphomet head is that of the beheaded John the Baptist, archives sources tend to favour this theory, since the Templars excavated at the Temple mount and John was said to have been beheaded there, by Herod .The probable connection is therefore established.

There have been several books written recently by authors such as Chris Knight and Robert Lomas, who state in the "Second Messiah" that the shroud was blanket or sheet of Jaques de Molay which received it imprint, due to the fiendish torture perpetrated on him by Phillip La Belle and his henchman, Nogaret.

Well, that is their theory and it makes an interesting story. However Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince would have us believe that Leonardo da Vinci was the manufacturer of the Shroud in their book "Turin Shroud in whose image" Neither discuss the Mandylion or the Veil of Veronica in any detail, which I believe is a great mistake considering they are inextricably linked.

So books are written, speculative theories are promulgated, symbolistic stones are carved and we are asked to make quantum leaps of belief.

Perhaps we Templars have the key to this mystery, in our history, and possibly this could have contributed to our persecution.

One thing is certain, the one person to know the truth was Mary Magdalene, and this is why the Temple held her in a position of great reverence.

Quaere Verum ,Pax Vobiscum

Chev.John Ritchie KGOT,Militi Templi Scotia. SMOTJ. OSMTH.

Non Nobis, Non Nobis Domini Tua Deum Gloria.