05x14 - The Templar Connection

Episode transcripts for the TV show "The Curse of Oak Island". Aired: January 5, 2014 to present.*
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Follows brothers Marty and Rick as they search for the infamous treasure on Oak Island.
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05x14 - The Templar Connection

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NARRATOR:
Oak Island,

Nova Scotia, Canada.

October , .

Let's see
if we can find something.

Treasure hunters
Rick Lagina and Gary Drayton

are searching the area on the
northeast corner of the island

known as Smith's Cove.

That sounds good.

Yeah. Yeah,
that's worth digging.

It's a good depth.
It's saying ten inches.

GARY:
Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa,

-whoa, whoa, whoa!
I don't see anything.

GARY:
I see something.

Oh, my gosh!

-RICK: That's a cross.
-That's a cross.

That is an old, old cross--
I would say

that is somewhere
in between and .

A centuries-old cross

on a remote island
in Nova Scotia?

How did this
mysterious artifact

come to be in the sands
of Smith's Cove?

The answer
may not only provide a clue

as to what lies buried
on Oak Island,

but could also
bring into question

the very history
of North America,

because, incredibly,
it is identical to a cross

found on the wall of a
-year-old prison in France.

Could this cross be
physical evidence

that the treasures of the
Knights Templar are buried...

on Oak Island?

*

NARRATOR:
For more than years,

Oak Island has been the site

of what is perhaps history's
greatest treasure hunt.

But to this day, what lies
hidden beneath the surface

remains a mystery.

Theories range
from pirate treasure...

to the lost crown jewels
of Marie Antoinette...

to the lost manuscripts
of William Shakespeare.

But for Rick Lagina--
one of the driving forces

behind the current excavations
on Oak Island--

one theory is more compelling
than all the rest.

RICK:
There's this possibility

that Templars are associated
in some way

with the workings
on Oak Island.

The Templars were enigmatic

and powerful and influential,
and for them

-to just disappear...

...I think that story
is quite magical.

*

Could it be that

the Oak Island story
has ramifications

halfway across the globe?

NARRATOR:
Jerusalem, AD.

The city is the epicenter

of the struggle
for the Holy Land.

-Muslim armies from Palestine

and Egypt have ruled
the walled enclave

for more than four centuries,

slaughtering
Christian supporters

of the Holy Roman
and Byzantine Empires.

*

Jerusalem is important

for at least three
different religious traditions.

So, it starts off, of course,

as the capital
for the Jewish tradition.

Then Christianity
comes in the world,

and these are spaces
that are important for Jesus.

For Muslims, it's important
because Muhammad goes there,

from Mecca to Jerusalem, from
Jerusalem ascends up to Heaven.

NARRATOR:
In ,

Pope Urban II summons
Christians from across Europe

to join a m*llitary expedition
to recapture Jerusalem.

Well-armed Crusaders

take up his challenge,
violently driving out

the Muslims within four years.

The success
of the First Crusade

generates a flood of Christian
pilgrims heading for Jerusalem.

But the journey
is long and dangerous.

In , a well-connected
and influential French knight,

Hugues de Payens,
makes a proposal

to set up a protection system
for Jerusalem-bound pilgrims,

to be based at the very center
of the city,

on Temple Mount.

CLIVE PRINCE:
Hugues de Payens went

to the newly installed
king of Jerusalem

and asked
for his permission to, um...

defend pilgrims.

So the king
gave them permission.

Gave them quarters

in the Al-Aqsa Mosque,

which he was using
as his palace.

So Hugues de Payens gathered
together eight other knights,

and because Temple Mount
was their headquarters,

they called themselves
the Knights Templar.

NARRATOR: Officially known
as the Poor Fellow Knights

of Solomon's Temple,

there were initially
only nine members,

and many believe
their stated purpose

of protecting pilgrims
was simply a cover.

HOLST:
Well, the first thing they did

was to do a survey
of the Mount,

including all the underground
passages that were there.

And it's believed
that they may have found

the Ark of the Covenant.

McGOWAN COPPENS:
The Ark of the Covenant

holds the covenant
from God to man,

and that is physically
the two tablets

representing
the Ten Commandments.

-Moses was given

very specific instructions

on how the ark was
to be constructed,

and he followed them perfectly.

One of the descriptions
that he was given

was that there should be
two angels, called cherubim,

sitting on top of the ark
facing each other.

And it was the space
between these angels

where their wings came together
to cover the ark,

that was the holy space

where the power of God
would manifest.

Certainly, the Templars

would have been after
the Ark of the Covenant,

because it was
the ultimate w*apon,

-according
to the Old Testament.

NARRATOR:
Curiously, after ten years,

the Knights Templar's secret
excavations at Temple Mount

suddenly came to a halt.

Is it possible that they found
what they were looking for...

the Ark of the Covenant?

Some researchers suggest

that coming into possession
of the Ark

is what allowed the Templars
to extend their influence,

and begin to recruit new
members from all across Europe.

I often think of them
as, like, uh...

American Green Berets,

who will take, like,
a few guys,

will go into a foreign land

and make contacts with people

of other languages
and cultures,

and kind of train
and recruit them.

NARRATOR:
With their ranks swelling

to more than , knights
between and ,

the Templars soon found
that protecting pilgrims

on the road to Jerusalem
could be more

than just a spiritual calling--

it was also a chance

to substantially increase
their wealth and power.

Travelers throughout Europe

needed more
than a physical police force

to keep their property safe,

so the Knights Templar
came up with a system

that is recognized
by historians

as the world's first bank.

This is in the pre-modern world,

where you're traveling
with your possessions.

You don't have a credit card--
you're carrying the cash

that you'll need
for a six-month trip.

That makes a very appealing
target for robbers.

The Knights Templar
worked out a system

that they could deposit
their money in their home city,

go to Jerusalem
with a letter of credit,

which was an invention
of the Knights Templar,

and present this
and receive their money

so that the highwaymen
were not able to get it.

But...

there was a nice subtext,
which was...

that if you d*ed en route,
and an awful lot of people did,

then the Templars
could take all your money.

And they did.

WHITEHEAD:
The Knights Templar of old

were given border access
to different countries

by the Pope.

And also, Pope Innocent III
gave them tax exemption,

which is a very
interesting thing as well.

YOUNG: This was
something like a precursor

to a multinational corporation,

a very powerful enterprise.

And the story is well known
that they had lent

an enormous amount of money
to the king of France.

*

NARRATOR: Having the king
of France in their debt

put the Templars in a position
of incredible power,

but also extraordinary danger.

King Philip IV was left
with two choices--

pay them...

or destroy them.

To get out of paying back
the Order,

the king of France decides
they are Satanists

and they're defiling the church
and gets them drummed out.

HOLST: The king of France
then leaned on the Pope

to back him up
and press charges

against the Knights Templar.

The Grand Master reported
to the Pope and to no one else.

And here the Pope was siding

with the king of France,
turning all of his people over

to be imprisoned
and b*rned at the stake,

and they felt horribly betrayed.

-NARRATOR: In October of ,

on Friday ,

King Philip IV arrested
the Grand Master

of the Knights Templar,
Jacques de Molay.

He was tortured
for seven long years.

But why?
Among the charges

brought against the Templars
was worship of a heathen idol,

an idol that some believe was
the Ark of the Covenant.

Was King Philip attempting
to discover

where the Knights Templar
had hidden it?

In the end,
the Grand Master refused

to reveal any Templar secrets,

and on March , ,

he was b*rned at the stake.

McGOWAN COPPENS:
As Jacques de Molay stood

at the funeral pyre waiting
for the flames to consume him,

he cursed the king
and he cursed the Pope.

And he said that both of them
would be called before God

before the end
of a year and a day.

Within a year,

the Pope dies
of a prolonged illness.

Within a year,
the king dies of a stroke

on his way to go hunting.

But it doesn't end there.

Over the course
of the next years,

the king of France's line, his
three sons and his grandson,

all die in somewhat
mysterious circumstances,

and this destroys
the Capetian Dynasty.

NARRATOR:
Arrested, convicted of heresy,

tortured and ex*cuted--

is this the end
of the Knights Templar?

NARRATOR:
France, .

Upon the orders
of King Philip IV,

members of the Knights Templar,

who were once
among the most powerful

and highly regarded men
in the world,

are persecuted,

hunted down, and imprisoned
throughout the country.

Those who are caught
are subjected to interrogation

-and t*rture...

and often ex*cuted.

One prison, where
at least Templars were held,

still stands today in
the fortified medieval village

of Domme, France.

Fearing that they may be
the last of their order,

the Templar prisoners sought
to preserve their legacy

by carving symbols
and coded messages

into the solid rock walls

using whatever was available--

sometimes even their own teeth.

JERRY GLOVER:
It was long thought,

for hundreds of years, that
there were no written records

pertaining
to the Knights Templar.

Their archive in Paris
was destroyed.

But there are some traces
of Templar writings

in the form of graffiti.

And there are
extensive examples of those

in the guardhouse at Domme.

Come in.

NARRATOR:
In September ,

-Wow. -Rick Lagina
and two of his nephews

traveled to the -year-old
prison in Domme

in search of further clues

as to what treasures
might lie hidden on Oak Island.

GLOVER:
And you can see lots of evidence

of how they passed
their time, which was

by making carvings in the walls
to sustain them spiritually.

Over here is

some of the most well-known
carvings at Domme.

This way.

NARRATOR: But of all
the carvings in Domme,

there was one
that caught Rick's attention

more than any other.

And it was this same carving

that he believed
provided a match

with the mysterious lead cross

he found at Smith's Cove
just one week later.

GARY:
That is an old, old cross.

I would say that is somewhere
in between and .

But if the cross
at Smith's Cove

is determined to be
of Templar origin,

how would it have made its way

some , miles
across the Atlantic?

Is it possible that, during the
period of their persecution,

some of the Templars
actually escaped

and, if so, may have made
their way to North America?

HOLST:
Of the roughly ,

Knights Templar
that existed at that time,

a total of about

have ever been arrested or
put on trial at any given time.

That left ,

Knights Templar
who had to be accounted for.

NARRATOR:
It was rumored

that the Templars had
a fleet of ships

based at La Rochelle on
the Atlantic coast of France...

which King Philip
set out to capture.

His troops immediately went
to La Rochelle

to arrest the Templar fleet.

They got there,
and there were no ships.

The whole Templar fleet
had disappeared.

Where would it have gone?

NARRATOR: It is widely believed
that the Templar fleet

sailed north to a country

where they already had
a stronghold

and many supporters--

Scotland.

YOUNG:
The king,

Robert the Bruce,
was in trouble with the Pope.

He was already excommunicated.

This made Scotland
something of an open place.

And this became
a very attractive mecca

for the Knights Templars
after the troubles.

McGOWAN COPPENS: The Templars
had made arrangements

for this inevitability.

They had sent money.

They had sent treasure.

They had sent documents

to places that
they knew would be safe.

NARRATOR:
Some researchers believe

that for decades the fugitive
knights were protected

by one of Scotland's
most powerful families,

under the guidance
of their patriarch,

Henry Sinclair.

KNIGHT: Henry Sinclair was
the jarl of Orkney.

He was from the, uh,
the family, the Sinclairs,

originally Santa Claris,

which became
the Sinclair clan of today.

NARRATOR:
According to Christopher Knight

and other Templar researchers,

Henry's ancestors--
the Sinclairs--

and their French relatives--
the St. Clairs--

were instrumental in creating
the Knights Templar.

McGOWAN COPPENS:
Henry Sinclair

was clearly a Templar

or a descendant
of the Knights Templar.

NARRATOR:
But although Scotland provided

a temporary safe haven,
the Knights Templar

were still being hunted
by the Pope,

and wanted to create
a homeland of their own.

*

To that end,
they sought a destination

where they could build
a New Jerusalem.

Although evidence
that the Templars succeeded

is unsubstantiated,
there are many who believe

they were made aware
of a vast new world

some , miles to the west.

There are records from the
Irish, records from the Vikings.

There are indications
that the Phoenicians

came in this direction.

There is so much evidence now
that Europeans

were coming in this direction,
heading towards this New World

hundreds of years
before Columbus,

hundreds of years
before official history

actually recognizes it.

There was this kind of secret
knowledge of another continent,

which therefore
could have reached the Templars.

NARRATOR:
According to letters

discovered in the th century,

Prince Henry Sinclair hired two
experienced sailors from Italy,

Antonio and Nicolo Zeno,

to guide a daring
-mile expedition

from Orkney, Scotland

in .

d*ck EASTMAN: The documentation
they kept actually was...

given back
to one of their relatives

and remained hidden
for about years,

was found, and then
has since been transcribed.

NARRATOR: While the authenticity
of the Zeno narratives

remains unsubstantiated,
they report that Henry Sinclair

rented Venetian ships

and filled them
with Templar fugitives.

After leaving Orkney,
they sailed west,

toward North America.

McGOWAN COPPENS:
If you trace their journey

from Scotland
down through Iceland,

it makes so much sense
that they followed

this trajectory
and ended up in Nova Scotia.

NARRATOR: Nova Scotia--
Latin for New Scotland--

would have offered
Henry Sinclair a perfect home

for himself
and his fellow knights.

Here he made contact
with the native people

known as the Mi'kmaq,
also pronounced as Mi'kmaw.

Backing up the Zeno narrative

are the stories passed down
by the Mi'kmaq themselves.

We're Mi'kmaq
on my mother's side,

and she started talking about
that when I was very young,

you know, four years old,
five years old.

I, for one, really do believe
that Henry Sinclair

did come to Cape Breton.

MARTY: It fits with the Templar
theory itself really well.

You know, if, really,
if Henry Sinclair

was really here, and he... he
clearly would have to interact

with the First Nations peoples.

He would have to;
they lived here.

It's intriguing.

NARRATOR:
But if the Templars

really landed on the shores
of Nova Scotia,

did they bring
their treasures with them?

And if so, where are they now?

NARRATOR: According to legend,
Scottish prince Henry Sinclair

and his armada of ships

reached the area now known
as Nova Scotia in .

Some researchers suggest
that Sinclair learned

there was land
, miles to the west

through the stories
of the Vikings,

who had, by some accounts,
reached America even earlier.

But others believe

he had a more direct source
of information...

the Knights Templar themselves,

who may have made their
first trip to the New World

years earlier in .

In ,

Oak Island treasure hunter
Rick Lagina

and researcher Doug Crowell
met with Templar historian

Zena Halpern.

A former member

of the New England Antiquities
Research Association,

Zena has devoted
much of the past decade

to researching
possible evidence

of Knights Templar activity
in North America.

It was during the course
of this research

that she acquired copies

of what she believes
to be ancient maps,

the originals of which
were found buried

in the pages of an old book.

ZENA: These maps are part
of the Templar document.

The main part of the book
that I've written

covers a th century
Templar voyage,

identified from to ,

of a Templar leader
by the name of Ralph de Sudeley.

NARRATOR:
According to historians,

Ralph de Sudeley was
a wealthy English baron

who fought alongside the
Templars during the Crusades.

Zena Halpern believes
that the maps provide evidence

that not only did
de Sudeley reach Nova Scotia,

but that he buried all or part
of the priceless artifacts

he acquired on Oak Island.

I think the purpose
of de Sudeley's journey

was to explore the new area,

but also to possibly hide
holy artifacts.

NARRATOR: Shortly before meeting
with Zena Halpern in ,

Rick Lagina had traveled
with researchers Doug Crowell

and Charles Barkhouse
to the village of New Ross,

just miles north
of Oak Island.

They had been invited
by local property owners

Alessandra Nadudvari
and her husband Tim Loncarich

to come and visit what
they believe to be evidence

of ancient Templar structures.

And if you like,
I'll show you what we've got.

CHARLES:
Lead on.

TIM: In the s,
one of the previous owners

was digging in the backyard here
for a garden,

and when she got down
a couple of feet,

she started uncovering
old foundation stones.

This is one of the stones
that she uncovered.

She called it the Herm Stone,

and she felt that it could be
a grave marker.

And then, if you look more
closely on the face,

it looks like there could be
something carved on the face.

It's very worn,

as it would be if it was
or years old.

ALESSANDRA:
I think that,

on the face of the stone,

you can see a very faint outline
of a cross.

In my opinion, what it looks
like, it's a Christian cross,

and no ordinary cross, but the
cross of the Knights Templar.

NARRATOR: The area is now
overgrown by trees and foliage,

but excavations by the site's
previous landowners revealed

what appeared to be
an ancient foundation,

possibly built
as a Templar fortress.

A far

Perhaps.

But there are many
who believe New Ross

was only one of many areas
in Nova Scotia

where the Templars left behind
evidence of their activity

in the New World.

The Templars had interest
in mining.

And we know

that there is a gold-producing
area in the Nova Scotia region.

It has been conjectured

that Templars went there
to mine gold.

It's also been conjectured
that Templars mined silver

further afield
in North America.

NARRATOR:
In ,

amateur archaeologist
Terry Deveau invited

Rick and Marty Lagina,

along with members
of their Oak Island team,

to a remote field some
miles southwest of New Ross,

near the Bay of Fundy.

So is it this way?

-Pretty much.
-Okay, great, perfect.

-Let's go.
-Let's go.

NARRATOR: Terry was eager
to show the Laginas

the Overton Stone,

a large stone that sits
overlooking the bay

and on which are carved
a number of mysterious images.

The rock here
is probably located

on the highest point
in quite a distance around.

So now you can see the carving
quite clearly here.

It's very beautiful.

It has the eagle feather,

and behind the eagle feather,

there are a pair
of tobacco leaves.

There you have two
of the most important symbols

in the Mi'kmaw belief system.

The hypothesis
that I'm suggesting

is that this whole carving
was made by a European

to commemorate, perhaps,

a friendship treaty
between Europeans and Mi'kmaw.

That is quite remarkable,
and isn't that a Templar cross?

NARRATOR:
A Templar cross?

And a carving which suggests
a treaty between Europeans

and the indigenous peoples
of Nova Scotia?

They could've been teaching each
other these esoteric beliefs,

and in fact,

all these stories
of Christianity and Jesus

really are part of Mi'kmaq
belief, surprisingly enough.

NARRATOR:
According to Mi'kmaq legend,

the Mi'kmaq people did,
in fact,

have knowledge of Europeans

long before Columbus reached
the New World in .

They also openly recognize

that one of the Europeans
they formed a friendship with

was Henry Sinclair,

whom many believe
was the inspiration

for the god known as Glooscap.

DOUG: Glooscap was said
to be an explorer,

which Henry Sinclair
certainly was.

Glooscap was said to have
daughters.

Henry Sinclair did.

Glooscap may have
certain aspects

that are larger than life.

A matter of fact, there's one
story where Glooscap arrives

on a ship from the east,

bringing many gifts
and advanced knowledge.

So that really has to be,
I think, Sinclair.

NARRATOR: Is it possible
that the Mi'kmaq god Glooscap

and Henry Sinclair
were really one and the same?

Perhaps the proof is actually
hiding in plain sight,

in the form
of the Mi'kmaq flag.

PRITCHARD: This is the
ceremonial flag of the Mi'kmaq.

And it's the reverse
of the Templar battle flag,

which has the star below
and the moon above.

And otherwise,
they're absolutely identical.

And that is kind of
why we think, perhaps,

all these connections with
the Templars in Nova Scotia

could be very significant.

If the Templars were carrying
this extraordinary treasure

to a place where they wanted
to be safe

and create a New Jerusalem,
this makes sense.

I do believe that the Templars
were on Oak Island.


And I do believe

that they brought something
very extraordinary with them.

NARRATOR:
For years,

a maze of shafts, tunnels and
booby traps have frustrated

any attempt by treasure hunters

to solve
the Oak Island mystery.

But given the engineering
expertise involved

in the design and construction

of such a complex
defense system,

could this feat really be the
work of the Knights Templar?

PRITCHARD: When you're thinking
about the Sinclairs coming over

and digging a big pit
such as Oak Island,

they needed hundreds of workers.

They, assuredly,
took Mi'kmaqs as employees

to dig the holes
and do all this work.

I do believe that
that was a Templar project,

and I do believe
it had to involve Mi'kmaqs.

NARRATOR: Another
of the engineering feats

that have been found
at Oak Island

is the elaborate system
of box drains

first discovered
at Smith's Cove in .

By using a sophisticated
filtration system

made of a combination
of eelgrass and coconut fibers,

the box drains provided
the water used

to booby trap
the Money Pit area

and thwart the efforts
of would-be treasure hunters.

JACK:
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

DAN H.: Is that the mother lode
right there?

That looks like it.

JACK:
No way, I think that is.

NARRATOR:
Evidence of coconut fiber,

a substance not native
to North America...

ALEX: This looks
like more right there.

...was found by the Laginas
at Smith's Cove in .

And I would say,
without a word of a doubt,

-that's coconut fiber.
-Yeah. -Oh, yeah.

-Absolutely.
-Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, so we found it.

NARRATOR:
More tests were conducted,

and the results were nothing
less than astounding.

They're dating it
between and AD.

-CHARLES: That's what I figured.

So it's old, old, old stuff.

McGOWAN COPPENS: The dating of
these fibers take us directly

to the period when the Templars

would have been escaping
from persecution.

NARRATOR: Ironically,
further evidence connecting

the Templars to Oak Island may
have also recently been found

on the walls of the Domme
prison in France.

So the graffiti at Domme
is not meaningless scratches,

by any means.

The Templars there,
that made that graffiti,

were trying to communicate
something.

NARRATOR: There, next to the
carving that appears similar

to the lead cross found
at Smith's Cove,

is one featuring
a unique configuration

of connecting lines
and crosses.

-Have you seen examples
of that before? -No.

GLOVER:
These don't exist anywhere else,

they only exist here.

It's so unusual,
you have to think of

what other sources
of inspiration

there could have been for this.

And I think it's possibl given
their contacts in the Holy Land,

that this might
have been inspired

by the kabbalistic Tree of Life.

NARRATOR:
The Tree of Life?

As described
in ancient Hebrew texts,

the so-called Tree of Life

lays out ten aributes
that connect the physical self

to the spiritual realm.

It is said
to represent the need

to find a personal path
through life.

In other words,
a map that needs to be followed

in order to find God.

RICK:
Jerry referenced the carving,

which he thought
was a Tree of Life design,

and for me,

I believe we have found
some evidence on the island

that perhaps represents
the Tree of Life.

NARRATOR: In ,
treasure hunter Fred Nolan

first discovered
that five large boulders

on his Oak Island property
formed a symmetrical cross

measuring feet wide
by feet long.

At the intersection
of the arms of the cross,

he later unearthed
a sixth boulder,

one that seemed to be carved
to resemble a human face.

Further research

into the unique placement
and configuration

of the boulders
of Nolan's Cross...

-Petter.
-Petter.

...suggests to some researchers

that it may, in fact,
represent the Tree of Life.

This is Nolan's Cross.

I say that this cross
is more than one symbol.

And I will show you why.

If you add a few more points,

like this, between these stones,

there are certain paths.

The geometry indicates

that we are talking
about a Tree of Life.

NARRATOR:
But if Nolan's Cross

can really be proved to depict
the kabbalistic Tree of Life,

why was it constructed?

Was it to celebrate that

the Templars had successfully
found New Jerusalem

in Nova Scotia?

Or was it designed as a clue?

One that offers evidence

that not only did the Templars
come to Oak Island,

but they'd hidden
a vast treasure there.

Perhaps a treasure,
not only of gold and silver,

but one first given to Moses
by God himself.

NARRATOR:
Over the past years,

hundreds of men and women
have been involved

with the search for treasure
on Oak Island.

But although most come
from a variety of backgrounds

and geographic regions,
there is one attribute

that a surprising number
of them have in common:

Freemasonry.

From Daniel McGinnis,
one of the three boys

who first discovered
the Money Pit in ,

to William Chappell
and his son M.R.

and even future
American President

Franklin D. Roosevelt,

who joined the search in ,

Oak Island has had
a unique relationship

with a society of men

who are qualified
in both structural engineering

and the ability to keep
and protect secrets.

PRINCE:
The level of involvement

of Freemasons in excavations
in Oak Island

is too much to be a coincidence.

All of the early attempts

were all done
by high-ranking Freemasons,

and it's very provable.

Why, is another question.

The obvious answer
is that the Freemasons

know what the Money Pit is,
what's down there,

what it was meant to protect.

NARRATOR:
But why would members

of the Fraternal Order
of Freemasons

know what lies hidden
on Oak Island?

Some researchers say

that it is due to the fact
that, in many ways,

the Freemasons are
the direct descendants

of the Knights Templar,

and as such,
have carried forward

many of the Templars'
ancient rites and traditions.

McGOWAN COPPENS: The transition
of the Knights Templar

into Freemasonry
is an organic evolution.

It's not something
that starts and stops.

There isn't a beginning date
or an end date.

It always existed.
It was always there.

And certainly the Sinclairs
were a huge part of this.

NARRATOR:
Some researchers suggest

that evidence tying
both the Sinclair family

and the Knights Templar
to Freemasonry

can be found by examining

one of the most mysterious
structures in Scotland,

Rosslyn Chapel.

Built in

by Henry Sinclair's
grandson, William,

the ornate building
seems to celebrate

the Knights Templar's
original base on Temple Mount.

PICKNETT:
It was intended,

or so it is believed,

to be the lady chapel
of a much bigger building

that was going to be a copy of
Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem.

NARRATOR: When Rick, Marty, and
members of the Oak Island team

visited the ancient church
in ,

they encountered
a strange design

on the outside of the building

that may suggest the Templars
transformed themselves

into a new secret society.

The stone carving shows
a blindfolded man

with a rope noose
around his neck,

while a soldier holds the rope.

And this appears to be
the same process

that happens
in a Masonic ritual.

And that's familiar
to every Mason.

This is suggested by many

to be a connection
to Freemasonry,

and it may well have been.

NARRATOR:
But the fraternal society

that became known
as Freemasonry

did not officially exist

until years
after the chapel was built.

Could the strange
initiation ritual

be evidence of a direct lineage

between Templars
and Freemasons?

There are many connections
between the Knights Templar

and Freemasonry,
or the Masonic Lodges.

You're looking at a lot
of the same symbols,

the same rites and rituals.

They wear the white gloves.

They have
the secret handshakes.

NARRATOR:
Central to Freemasonry

was the worship of the
Old Testament patriarch, Enoch,

the great-grandfather of Noah,

who is said to be responsible

for building the First Temple
in Jerusalem.

According to the
ancient Masonic texts

known as "The Legend of Enoch,"

Enoch built a series
of underground chambers

beneath Solomon's Temple,

to guard all
the important knowledge

and treasures of the world.

The first eight levels
provided security.

In the ninth and final chamber,

Enoch placed a triangle of
pure gold surrounded by jewels.

Known as the Enochian Delta,

it was inscribed
with one word: "God."

When the Onslow Company

excavated the Money Pit
in ,

workers encountered
nine platforms

constructed from oak beams
at every ten feet.

The ninth and final level

featured a stone slab bearing
mysterious carved symbols.

During their trip
to Scotland in ,

Rick and Marty Lagina

met up with Templar researcher
Alan Butler

to get his thoughts
on the parallels

that seem to exist
between Oak Island

and Solomon's Temple.

ALAN BUTLER: When the
Knights Templar were eventually

able to build
their own New Jerusalem,

the Money Pit was deliberately
constructed copy

of Solomon's Temple
and the chambers of Enoch.

NARRATOR:
But if the Templars took pains

to reproduce the vault
of King Solomon on Oak Island,

was it so they could hide
the treasures

that were once hidden there,

chiefly the golden menorah
of King Solomon

and the Ark of the Covenant?

PRITCHARD: People wonder
why was it so important

to build this great pit
at Oak Island.

When you think about
some of the things

that the Templars might have had
in their possession

could arguably include
not only the chalice

that collected Jesus' blood,

but there's a lot of treasures
of the Holy Land

that could have ended up there.

NARRATOR:
Perhaps the ultimate proof

of Templar activity
in the New World

still lies buried,

some feet below the surface
of Oak Island.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,
whoa, whoa!

NARRATOR: Or in the shape
of an ancient cross

recently discovered
at Smith's Cove.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa!

Holy schmoly, all right.

Look at that.

-It's a cross.
-That's a cross. Wash it off.

NARRATOR: With the discovery
of a simple lead cross,

small enough to fit in the palm
of his hand,

Rick Lagina may have found
not only a clue

that could help him solve
the Oak Island mystery...

RICK: I've seen that shape
on a cross before.

When I was in France,

I saw a carving like that

in the Templar prison in Domme.

...but important evidence

that could help prove
that Europeans,

and perhaps surviving members
of the Knights Templar,

successfully crossed the
Atlantic many centuries ago.

KNIGHT:
I believe that it's bulletproof

the Templars went to America.

Why wouldn't they?

They had the ability
and the motivation

and the knowledge to do it.

NARRATOR: Perhaps the real
treasure of Oak Island

cannot be found
in a chest of gold

or even in an Ark containing
the Ten Commandments.

Perhaps the treasure
is one of knowledge...

The Templars have nothing
to lose at this point.

...both of mankind's history

and its destiny.

Sweet!

RICK: Every piece of information
is important.

Is this a treasure hunt? Yeah.

But it's also
a information hunt.

In the Money Pit,

what I'd like it to be

is the Knights Templar treasure

and/or information.

I would love it to be
the bottom of the Money Pit.

Is it really there?
I don't know,

and that's why we're here,
to find out.

Put the last piece
in the puzzle.

Hear it go click
and-and be happy.

NARRATOR:
Ever since the discovery

of the Money Pit in ,

men of courage have come
to Oak Island

in search
of an incredible fortune.

But in many ways,

their legacy is not unlike that
of the men

who came here centuries ago,

men of faith
who pursued a dream

and who risked
everything they had

in order to prove
that their lives

were not lived in vain.
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