The Knights Templar were officially called the Poor-Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, also known as the Order of Solomon’s Temple. They had many symbols that represented and inspired them during the Crusades. One of those symbols was the Red Cross as shown in the picture. This symbol was used by this religious order of Christian warriors aligning the Knights with the Roman Catholic Church and Pope as well as their mission of protecting Christian pilgrims on their way to and from the Holy Land.

This symbol was not an ornament until 1147 when Pope Eugenuis III approved of it. For the Crusader, the Red Cross represented martyrdom and reminded then of the sacrifice of Christ.

The Knights Templar were a Catholic military order founded in 1119, headquartered in the Temple Mount in Jerusalem through 1128 when they went to meet with Pope Honorius II. They were recognized in 1139 by the papal bull, a type of public decree used by the pope. It was titled in Latin ‘Omne datum optimum’ (Every perfect gift), a quotation from the Epistle of James in the New Testament. The Order was active until 1312 when it was perpetually suppressed by Pope Clement V, again by a papal bull, ‘Vox in excelso’ (The voice on high)

In effect the first papal bull in 1139 promised all spoils from Muslim conquests to the Order, and made the Order exempt from tithes and taxes. At their peak, membership was estimated to be between 15,000 and 20,000.

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