Knights Templar

Members of Boston's St. Andrew's Lodge first conferred the Knights Templar degree in America in 1769. It is presently the highest degree in the York Rite. Today, a Mason must first receive the degrees of the Royal Arch and Royal and Select Masters before becoming a Knight Templar. Templary is unique in the world of Freemasonry in that it is Christian in its ritual and purpose. A Knight Templar pledges to defend a Christian religion and the rituals are derived from the tales and histories of the crusades. Below are examples of instructional lantern slides from the Knights Templar ritual.