Downfall of The Templars and the Friday 13th Superstition
Formed in 1119, the Knights Templar were a religious, military order. Their primary role was to protect those on pilgrimage to the Holy Lands, which later extended to defending the land. Over time they became a large, pan-European organisation, amassing huge amounts of wealth, land and power. However, by 1291, Acre, the last stronghold of the Holy Lands was defeated. The Templar’s reason for existing, to defend and protect, had disappeared. Resentment about their wealth and power grew.
King Philip IV of France, who was in debt to the Templars, was keen to see them gone. To bypass the Pope, he needed to declare that they were heretics, therefore becoming a secular matter and under his jurisdiction. There was a mass arrest in France on Friday 13th October 1307, and many were tortured into confession, a possible theory as to why that day has bad connotations. Pope Clement V tried to take control and conducted his own investigation. A Papal Bull was finally issued in 1314, that the Templars, though not condemned, were to be suppressed. Templar lands and property went either to the rival group the Knights Hospitaller or to the church.
One theory about who may have used Royston cave is that it was the Knights Templar, maybe as a possible storage facility, a place of worship or for their initiations. To commemorate the downfall of this now mystical order, we shall be open for public tours on 13th October – thankfully it’s not a Friday!
To find out more and book a tour for Monday 13th October, visit: www.roystoncave.co.uk
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Emma, Royston Cave Manager
For more information: info@roystoncave.co.uk | www.roystoncave.co.uk
Royston Cave is open until Sunday 28th September for the 2025 season, every Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays.
Public tours are closed during the winter, and will re-start in April 2026. Private tours and group bookings are available year round.
To find out more and book a tour, visit: www.roystoncave.co.uk
Royston Cave, Melbourn Street, Royston SG8 7BZ
