Have you heard of the Knights Templar? The legendary order has sparked much speculation, and even made news today with the revelation of an alleged underground church complex belonging to the Templars, but who were they? 

1. They protected pilgrims

The Order of the Knights Templar was a Christian monastic-military order founded in Jerusalem in 1119. The group was first formed by Hugh de Payens from Champagne, France. De Payens, alongside eight fellow knights, protected Christian pilgrims travelling to the Holy Land from hostile Saracen forces. De Payens was the Templar's first Grand Master, the highest rank in the order.

2. They were warrior-monks

The Knights made monastic vows in 1129, pledging to die for their faith if necessary and committing to a life of chastity, poverty and obedience. The group's full name was the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon. Also known as the Order of Christ, they had the Latin motto: 'Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed Nomini tuo da gloriam.' It means: 'Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy Name give glory.'

3. They travelled far

The group expanded and grew in fame and influence. They were not poor monks for long, once they won the backing of influential members of Church and state. They established territory and property across the Holy Land and Europe. They were advanced in finance too, and pioneered early forms of banking. The charity received immunity from local laws, granted by Pope Innocent II in 1139.

4. A famous force 

They stood out with their iconic dress code, which was composed of a white mantle emblazoned with a large red cross, a symbol of martyrdom. The group grew to thousands and became a famed military force in the Crusades.

Legend says that the knights also guarded the Shroud of Turin – the cloth said to be the burial shroud of Jesus of Nazareth, bearing the image of Christ's face. The group, according to Vatican researchers, protected the relic for a century after the end of the Crusades.

5. They live on today

The order slowly faded away after the Crusades, and was suppressed in the 14^th century, with many of them accused of heresy and burned at the stake after being tortured into 'confessions'. It has been a popular subject of modern-myth making. Their story is embellished in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. The popular video game Assassins Creed features the Knights imagined as a villainous, shadowy cult with an ancient past, still active in the present day.

The Knights do still exist in a sense, as the non-secret organisation commonly known as Knights Templar International, established in 1804. The UN recognises the group as a special status NGO, and the Knights now continue the mission of protecting pilgrims and sacred sites, and doing charitable works in the Holy Land, albeit through diplomacy – not through violence.