Women and the Knights Templar

The Knights Templar is without a doubt one of the most known monastic orders in history. Ironically, it is also one of the most secretive ones. Throughout the centuries, the order was studied constantly and included in several movies and books. The Knights Templar are admired for their bravery, their devotion to their monastery, and the myths surrounding their rituals and day-to-day life. One of the most unexplored areas of the Knights' lives is their connection to women.

The Rule, by which the Templars abide, clearly states that women shall not join the order. In fact, it encourages its members to avoid the temptation of women as much as possible. By the law, there couldn't be a female Templar. Records, on the other, state different stories.

In Mühlen, a municipality in Styria, Austria, there was an official Temple where nuns were trained to serve the order. In other Templar houses, we could have also found females secretly devoted to the monastic order. Some women served by donating to the organization. Undoubtedly, women were not allowed in the order at any rank, but that didn't stop them from creating ties to the Knights Templar. Although it is possible to find women who were dedicated to the order, it is still rare and unusual. The Templars are by default monks, and therefore there was no place for a woman, as a server or as Master. Allowing a female in the Holy Temples was a sin to be punished for.

The Knights' attitude towards women is traditional and anti-feminist at its core. The Rule portrayed females as a contamination to the chastity and purity vows that the brothers took. Nonetheless, many Templars approached women in a more secular manner. They were ready to involve women in the matters of the order and give them full responsibility for a nunnery in Austria.

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