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"Mediaevistik" - n° 14 - anno 2001
Scholars of the international religious Orders of medieval Europe face problems in gaining a wide view of these Orders across their operations in the West and the East, and in keeping their knowledge up to date as research is being published in many European languages and is often inaccessible to scholars outside the country of publication. This is a useful volume of interest to international scholars of religious Orders especially because it offers insights into the organisation and operation of the military-religious Order of the Temple in Italy. From nine papers, four deal with Templar establishments in Italy and one with Templars and Italian bankers. Of the rest, two are focussed on the Mediterranean area: one on the Templars in Roussillon, and one on the proceedings of the trial of the Templars in the south of France, the Iberian Peninsula and Italy. One paper studies the Order's devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, while the final article, a regular feature of the L.A.R.T.I. congresses since 1987, considers "errors and inaccuracies in Templar research", seeking to correct misconceptions, including those broadcast by the media.
The papers vary in scope and purpose, and while they are of particular interest to those studying the Templars, they also contain material and discussion of interest to scholars in other disciplines, especially religious history. For instance, Gianni Zingoni's and Enzo Valentini's surveys of Templar properties in particular regions consider not only where these properties were located but also their architectural features and social role. Giulio Malvani's article on Templar devotion to St Mary is effectively a comparison between Roman Catholic devotion to the Blessed Virgin and devotion to a "heavenly lady" in other religions, which could equally well have been written on "St Mary of the Teutons" and the Teutonic Order. This subject is potentially of wide interest, but the article would have been more useful if it were provided with references.
Overall, the volume sets out to represent serious scholarly research on the Templars -all but one of the articles is thoroughly referenced- while being accessible to non-academics. Where appropriate, photographs of Templar properties, maps and plans are included. Regrettably, there is no index.
