The New World Templars

Their Treasures and Secrets

By: Chris Lawrence

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

The Origins of the Templar Treasure – Forces loyal to King Philip IV of France had attacked the Roman Pope's personal residence at Anagni during early September in this Year of Our Lord 1303. Following the ensuing battle, King Phillps’s overwhelmingly larger forces killed all of the Pope’s guards and captured Pope Boniface VIII himself.
Subsequently, secret orders were smuggled from the captured Pope, regarding certain sacred and secular charges to be removed from the Vatican Secret Archives for safe keeping elsewhere. The Prefect spoke urgently,
“These charges I carry are here for their ultimate protection, far outside of Vatican City, far from the greedy, grasping clutches of King Phillip IV of France, the pretender.” The Prefect continued,
“Call out your Master and he will verify my credentials. Then he, like myself, will be charged to do as his Pope commands.”
From next to the caravan, stepping out of concealment in the adjacent woods came a booming voice. It came from a tall Templar Knight dressed in his full combat chainmail, long-sword, helmet under his arm, and a white robe, emblazoned with a large red Templar cross. He was the Master of Worb Castle, Baron von Graaf. He spoke in deep tones, as if The Prefect had awakened a sleeping European black bear from its Winter’s den,
“Then present your credentials, Prefect. And we shall either bid you welcome, or slit your throats as trespassers, if it so pleases us, at this cold, dark, early hour of the morn.”
The Prefect, now trembling, presented the Master of Worb Castle a safe-passage letter from the Pope identifying his person as the Papal Prefect.
The Master of Worb Castle then called for a torch to light the document. He read its Latin.
The Prefect then presented a second Papal correspondence. It requested protection by the Swiss Templars for certain valuable Papal charges, both sacred and secular, from the grasping hands of King Philip IV of France.
The Master of Worb Castle then smiled, and bear hugged The Prefect, welcoming this Papal Envoy from Rome, and his brother’s friend in earnest,
“Prefect, be a welcome guest at our humble table. Eat and drink with us. Tell me more of my brother in Rome, and more of these unfortunate and troubling events relating to the pretender, King Philip IV of France.”
The Prefect halted, and spoke of his first priority,
“Oh, gracious Master of Worb, Baron of Bern, I would beg a boon of thee. I must safe-away all of my charges first. They must all be made safe before we may take meat or drink with you, or even sleep.”
The Master of Worb Castle nodded his understanding and then commanded,
“You in the Castle Keep. This is your Master. Our traveler has certain precious charges which must be safed-away into the Castle treasury room before they may do anything else. ...”
The Master of Worb Castle then asked,
“And what are all these other chests, Prefect?”
The Prefect smiled.
“Honesty compels me to reveal what few know. Those are chests of Papal plunder from the Holy Land. The booty returned to the Holy See by the Templars, and other knights, as trophies for the Pope. It is a mountain of Crusader gold, silver, and precious gems. They are to be kept and protected here at Worb Castle for the benefit of the Pope and his Holy Church. And for so long as the Pope may be held in captivity in Avignon under the control of the pretender, King Philip IV of France, they shall remain hidden here.” ...
In four hundred years, new Popes had come and gone. But they never once called upon the von Graff family for the return of any of those Papal secrets or any of the Templar treasure from the Worb Castle treasure room.
It was believed that the Barons’ family had simply been forgotten. The Papal secrets and the Templar treasure had all been entirely overlooked, lost to the ages, had vanished forever under the shifting sands of time. But then, possession becomes nine tenths of the law. ...

What ever happened to the Templar Treasure?

This historical novel offers a plausible explanation for the contents, disappearance, hidden preservation, and ultimate destination and use of a portion of the vast Templar Treasure. From arrogant kings and papal intrigue in Medieval Europe, to secret hidden hoards sequestered in the high Alps, to the Templar treasure's later relocation to the New World, and its ultimate use in the support of liberty and justice for all, this is a truly fascinating and truly believable novel. While it is a work of fiction, it honestly winds its way through real history through a Millenia all the way to the present, touching on many generations of family intrigue in the sacred pursuit of good over evil. A definite great read.