The Scottish Rite is a part of Freemasonry that evokes the Knights Templar and is rooted in the neo-Templar revival of the 18th and early 19th centuries. It is an appendant body of Freemasonry, which offers additional degrees to Master Masons, and teaches moral lessons through a series of degrees, culminating in the 32nd degree, Master of the Royal Secret.
In Masonic lore, a Templar named Pierre d’Aumont and seven others fled to Scotland to escape persecution after the King of France suppressed the Order between 1307 and 1314. D’Aumont was the Provincial Grand Master of Auvergne who fled to Scotland in 1313 with other Templars. There, he was elected Grand Master of the order but using the new term ‘Freemasonry’. These Templars adopted the name Freemason to protect themselves from persecution and discovery.
Freemason sources have argued that stone masons helped the Knights Templar flee to Kilwinning, Scotland, where they were sheltered. Kilwinning has the oldest Masonic lodge in the world, which is known as the “mother” lodge. Freemasonry was seen as being the result of a blending of local stone masons and the Knights Templar – adopting each other’s values in the process.
The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry includes several degrees that are sometimes called ‘Templar Degrees’. These degrees are influenced by the history and legend of the Knights Templar:
- 30th Degree: Knight Kadosh
- 28th Degree: Knight Commander of the Temple
- 29th Degree: Scottish Knight of Saint Andrew
- 32nd Degree: Master of the Royal Secret
- 33rd Degree: Inspector General, often described as the “Knights Templar” level
In the York Rite, membership is open only to Christian Masons who have completed their Royal Arch. The Grand Encampment of the United States acknowledges theories that Freemasonry was founded by the Knights Templar or that the Knights Templar took refuge in Freemasonry.
If you want to know more about the Knights Templar – then buy this book: The Knights Templar – History & Mystery – by Tony McMahon – published by Pen & Sword – available on Amazon, Waterstones, Barnes & Noble, and WHSmith.
