The Templars' Secret Island: The Knights, the Priest and the Treasure by Haagensen, Erling, Lincoln, Henry (2006) Paperback

by Erling Haagensen, Henry Lincoln

Does the remote Baltic island of Bornholm hold the key to an ancient secret? A secret that links it to the enigmatic village of Rennes-le-Chateau in the French Pyrennes and the tunnels beneath Mount Sion in Jerusalem? What is its connection with the Templar Knights, and what were they trying to hide on such a distant isle? THE TEMPLARS' SECRET ISLAND is a journey of awe-inspiring breadth and complexity, a journey that spans Europe and reaches into ancient Palestine, that first takes us thousands of years into the past and then back to our own time. It is a journey that casts new light on some of the most important enigmas of modern science.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

194 pages, Paperback

First published September 14, 2000

Reviews

[Tony Calder · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another book about the Templar's and their secret treasure - unless you have a thing for maths, this one will be hard to get through. The book centres around the mathematical precision of the placement of churches in a small island in the Baltic Sea. As the author tells it, the secret treasure that the Templars kept was the secrets of advanced mathematics that were obviously known to the Egyptians that allowed them to build the pyramids with such accuracy, and that the Templars had "rediscovered" during their time in Jerusalem when they were guardians of the Temple of Soloman. Because the Church wanted to keep a tight reign on science (that, at least, is reasonably true), the Templars weren't able to freely distribute this knowledge and so built the churches on Bornholm island in precise geometric patterns, so those who understood would know.

So, what's wrong with that theory? Well, for a start, modern days humans have consistently underestimated the abilities of the ancient peoples to build precise buildings. Second, while there is no doubt that the level of mathematical knowledge in Europe at the end of the Dark Ages and beginning of the Middle Ages was probably less than it had been during the height of Rome, there is a much simpler explanation. Mathematics, and science in general, was flourishing in the Arabian Empire (and in India) during this period, and the Templars were based in Jerusalem - which was pretty close to the heart of the Arab world. Far more likely, I think, that they were able to apply knowledge gained from that source, rather than a secret cache of scrolls or stone tablets buried under Jerusalem.

There is no doubt that the Templars are a fascinating subject, and there are mysteries surrounding them, but I don;t think this book provides the answers.

[Scott DeVogelaere · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was better than I was worried it would be. Too often, books like these delve into rabbit holes that purport to find some historical religious artifact like the Holy Grail or the Ark of the Covenant, only to never deliver. These authors never make such promises, and their conclusions are rational, logical, and not the subject of a potential Hollywood blockbuster. Instead, they present their hypothesis, explain it (through mathematics and history, of which the former I was mostly lost), and wrap it all up. Although their findings aren't exciting for a modern audience looking for some iconic, world-altering prize or lost loot of riches, from a historical level it's pretty cool. There were times that I thought they were stretching their ideas a bit, but it's possible I wasn't connecting the dots quite as fast as they were, which means they didn't explain themselves well. Henry Lincoln, the coauthor, made more than a few references to earlier works that he wrote or partially wrote, alluding to things that he related to this mystery, almost to the point I thought he was advertising himself way too much. Otherwise, it was a pretty quick read, and I actually learned some things about the Crusades that didn't venture into Dan Brown territory. In fact, this was published just before The Da Vinci Code, so it wasn't affected by that trend.

[AnnetteW · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just when you think you have read everything about the Templars, you find out you were wrong! This book had some interesting history and mystery regarding Bornholm Island in the Baltic Sea and possible connections with the Templars but by and large, unless you love the maths behind sacred geometry, you are likely to be bored, or at the very least, dissatisfied. The authors kept saying that they were going to keep all the maths until the last chapter so that the uninitiated wouldn't be lost but I felt like they didn't really honour that promise! I can't really recommend this book unless you are right into the nitty gritty of sacred geometry.

[Meik Mattke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entered expecting very little (received as a Christmas gift)… left very impressed. Other reviews mention math—I am not a math person; nonetheless, I found the material explained clearly enough that one could engage at whichever level they chose, while still following the author’s rather singular study into the mysteries of Bornholm’s Round Churches.

A great venture, if you’re interested in Architecture, Baltic Sea history, Bornholm, European Middle Ages, or applied Geometric(?) research.

[K. Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is there a hidden treasure on a Danish Island? I came across this book while doing research for trip to Bornholm, of book lore. I was amazed to discover to discover a link to the Knights Templar. (If you saw the film National Treasure, with Nicolas Cage, you should know that it was THIS treasure he was searching for).

I loved the book because of my coming trip. What better way to spice up a trip than to add mystery by imaging a piles of gold, and possibly, the Ark of the Covenant, being discovered by myself, soon to be famous adventurer and author. I could live with that.

The books is a great read because of a delicious detail: In 1985-86 nearly 3,000 gold statues, traced to the French kings who founded the Templar order, were dug up on Bornholm. Also, it is a fact that the precise location of the churches form a geometric star, the symbol of the Templar taken from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, and found in the design of other Templar churches elsewhere in Europe. The author hints that the star, formed by the position of the churches, may be a hint to the location of the treasure.

The author sites many examples of recorded history, linking the Knights Templar to Bornholm, making my coming trip and blog posts all the sweeter.

It is a fascinating book, about a tremendous legend based in fact. Whether the treasure exists or not, it is thrilling to think it may be real. If you think the knights Templar ancient history, remember that it is because of them we believe Friday the 13th is unlucky. For it was on that fateful day the king of France sent his assassins and slaughtered many of the Templar. Many more were imprisoned and tortured. That is why we, to this day, we believe Friday the 13th unlucky.

What we don't know for certain, is whether some of the Templar escaped with a vast treasure. It is an excellent read for those with the historic mystery bug.