For centuries the Freemasons have been the subject of suspicion ad debate. Perhaps no legend of the Freemasons has been more enduring than the supposed treasure that was said to be hidden by masons centuries ago. The legend of the Freemason treasure began in the Middle Ages, as the Knights Templar protected pilgrims seeking out the holy land. According to the story, the knights discovered a vast treasure hidden under Jerusalem’s Temple of Solomon. The treasure was said to be the most extensive, valuable treasure ever discovered and was subsequently hidden by the Freemasons.
The Knights Templar during this period did become extremely wealthy and began attracting members of the nobility to their ranks. This wealth and power of only added to the legend of the recovered treasure, and the knights became the subject of suspicion themselves. All of the Knights Templar were executed in the 1300’s after they became powerful enough to create unease among those in power, including the pope. The Freemasons had links to the knights, and later became rich and powerful in their own right, creating the same type of suspicion that had been cast on the Knights Templar.
Even today Freemasons from many walks of life consider themselves to be spiritually connected to the Knights Templar. There have also been rumors that there were Knights Templar survivors who remained hidden and eventually founded the Scottish Freemasons. Whatever the connection between the two, the Freemasons are now said to be the guardians of the fabled treasure, which keep the organization wealthy and secretive. But, despite the centuries of rumblings about treasure and fortune, no map to a Freemason treasure is known to exist, nor has the treasure been discovered.
In addition to the Temple of Solomon treasure, there are still other treasures that are rumored to have been taken by the Freemasons, including one with more historical evidence. The Templars and Freemasons were said to have been connected by the building of the Temple Mount, which was build by masons. The Knights Templar were said to have discovered that the masons had taken the Ark of the Covenant from the temple and moved it into a church in Ethiopia. Artwork still found on the Cathedral at Chartres illustrates these events, and the Ethiopian church, the Church of St. George, is still standing. Church officials have admitted to having the Ark of the Covenant inside their church, but refuse to show it to the outside world. So, the mysteries, and the legends, continue.