John H. DeVeaux Grand Commandery
From the pilgrim roads of medieval Jerusalem to the chivalric traditions of Freemasonry, the Templar story invites reflection on faith, courage, and devotion.
Faith · Valor · Devotion
Within the York Rite, the Commandery gives Masonic instruction a Christian and chivalric expression. Its members are called Sir Knights. Their commitment centers on Christian virtues and the responsibilities those virtues place upon daily life.
The Commandery’s ceremonies are called Orders. They draw upon the language of pilgrimage, knighthood, and devotion to explore truth, spiritual preparation, courage, and humility.
c. 1118–1119
Hugh of Payns and his fellow knights formed a community devoted to protecting pilgrims in the Holy Land. Alongside their military purpose, they adopted monastic vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Their quarters on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount gave the brotherhood its enduring Templar name.
12th Century
Support from Bernard of Clairvaux helped the Templars establish themselves across Europe. By the 1140s they had a house in London. The Round Church at their New Temple was in use during the early 1160s and was consecrated in 1185. Its circular form recalled the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
1187–1291
The fall of Jerusalem in 1187 changed the course of the Crusader presence in the region. Acre remained an important stronghold until its capture in 1291. These losses marked decisive stages in the decline of the medieval setting in which the Templars had first undertaken their mission.
1307–1314
In 1307, King Philip IV of France moved against the Templars. Pope Clement V suppressed the Order in 1312. The Georgia reference recounts the execution of Grand Master Jacques de Molay in 1314. The dissolution brought the medieval Order’s institutional history to an end; its memory continued to shape later traditions.
18th Century
Masonic Templary developed centuries after the medieval Order. In England, the minutes of Portsmouth’s Chapter of Friendship record Templar activity in 1778. Seven Encampments formed a Grand Conclave in 1791 under Thomas Dunckerley. These dates belong to the English Masonic tradition and are not founding dates for Georgia’s Grand Commandery.
The John H. DeVeaux Grand Commandery brings this tradition into Georgia’s Prince Hall York Rite community. Its three Orders give the Sir Knight a framework for reflection on Christian duty, fidelity, and service.
01 · Truth
Zerubbabel’s story places the strength of truth at the heart of the first Order.
02 · Preparation
Christian instruction prepares the candidate for the responsibilities of knighthood.
03 · Devotion
Faith, courage, and humility shape the candidate’s passage into the Commandery.