Templar Nomenclature

1. The following nomenclature refers to the ancient one of the Order, wherever possible. Over time the meaning of some name truly changed, considering some recent interpretations that are not historically correct but consolidated in common practice by now.

Given this consideration, titles and positions have been ordered to recognize significant roles in an easily understandable way and briefly hinting at wherever possible, the historical origin of the Templar word and its traditional use.

2 .The honorary title of Grand before the position was not used by the ancient Templars. Only many centuries after, in an age not historically templar, was this adjective started to be employed.

The title of Master itself (in Latin, magister militum) was used either to identify the person in charge of a templar province and the highest officer of the Order, never appointed as Grand Master.

For this same reason it is not possible to identify without any doubt the real Masters of the Order: in all documents of that period, in fact, the term “Master” was also used for people in charge of local provinces.

It is assumed that only after the XIV century [1] the honorary adjective Grand started to be used before the title of Master, to designate his main responsibility in the Order, and then, by the time, this name was extended also to the other officers of the Order, to make a distinction between people in charse of central positions and people in charge of local obligations.

Nowadays, the title Grand preceding the position of High Officeholders or Dignitaries is used to utter the office they are in charge of (for example, Grand Marshall), or the honorary positions they hold in their own Grand Priory (in this case “honorary”, should be specified ).

3. That being stated, it is possible to order the following roles in accordance with the traditional classification:

Grand Prior

The Grand Prior is the head representative, organizing and managing officer of the Grand Priory. In the past, the Prior governed a Priory of which territorial extent could vary a lot. Later, the Priories were identified as quite huge properties and since the XVIII century they were usually matched with the host nations of that time. Nowadays, the present O.S.M.T.H. is structured in national Grand Priories and further in to local Priories, depending on the number of their members (to form a Grand Priory 50 knights as minimum are required). Only Grand Priories have right of vote in the Council of Grand Priories (Grand Council), but Priories have consultative status. There is never more than one Grand Priory for each country.

Grand Chancellor

The Grand Chancellor is in charge of keeping records of titles, licences and institutional documents of the Grand Priory; he countersigns all decrees of the Grand Prior to notarise their formal and legal validity.

By tradition, the Grand Chancellor is the second officer of the Order.

Grand Referendery

The Grand Referendery is the Order legal adviser of the Order and responsible for its jurisdictional activities. On behalf of the Order, he is in charge of judicial inquiry of proceedings of legal department or arbitration among the members of the Order itself, he draws up motions of proceedings (Deeds or Rules) and assures the civil and templar legal defence of the Grand Priory.

By tradition, the charge of Referendery (from Latin, ad referendum = adviser), was instituted in about the XV century, when the first important juridical schools of Bologna, Paris and Salamanca were flourishing.

Master of Ceremonies

The Master of Ceremonies is responsible for Protocol, Ceremonial and standard application of Rituals, in addition to the organisation and the correct conduct of national Chapters.

Therefore, he has a main responsibility in managing the public image and relations of the Order.

In the past, the charge of Master of Ceremonies was always very important, either for the public prominence of the Order and the requirement of arranging Chapters for Knights of different origin and speaking different languages, but yet respecting the official Ritual.

In our days, even if protocol offices have been subdued, the conduct of Ritual have become more and more significant.

Grand Preceptor

The Grand Preceptor is first of all in charge of instructing Grand Priory members about rituals, rules and behaviour.

On special occasions, he could be responsible for the promotion of new Order settlings in some regions informing and enlightening future knights.

Over the time the words Preceptor and Preceptory have been identified with Commander and Commandery.

Likewise, in the past when a Preceptor was put at the head of a templar region or province he was also appointed as Grand Preceptor, nowadays more commonly recognized as Grand Prior. Today, the title of Preceptor is related to a primarily formative office.

Grand Almoner

The Grand Almoner is responsible for the programme of social and charity donations and humanitarian aid.

For a long time the term Almoner, typical of the Hospitaller Order, was used by Princes and Kings to identify their main councillor. The authority of pardon was one of his most important functions.

Over the time, this role has been identified as responsible for charity initiatives to help people in need or persecuted.

Grand Lecturer

The Grand Lecturer is responsible for cultural activities of the Grand Priory and indirectly assists the Grand Preceptor, in educating Knights.

Grand Visitor

The Grand Visitor is the supervisor of Grand Bailiwicks, Bailiwicks, Preceptories and Commanderies and is directly under Grand Prior.

This charge has been derived from ecclesiastic organization, in which the Apostolic or Diocesan Visitor is a touring commissioner appointed to assure the direct presence of his superior with inspecting duty.

In the past this commitment was temporary and by direct order of the Grand Prior (or, at that time, the Grand Preceptor).

This term was unknown in the ancient templar tradition; only in more recent times has it been used essentially for inspecting or promoting mandates.

Grand Treasurer

The Grand Treasurer is responsible for the Treasure of the Temple and is appointed to administer the funds of the Order.

The financial management and administration talent of Templars is well known [2].

Templars in the Holy Land were supported by the organized system of Commanderies that, especially in Western countries, were built into a network of support which provided men, horses, money, and supplies to them.

To this contributed also the many privileges granted by the Pope [3] and the possibility of collecting directly the ransom of prisoners of war, administrating the money given them by pilgrims in Holy Land, placing huge donations and all properties the knights paid for their admission to the Order.

Grand Seneschal (or Grand Secretary)

The Grand Seneschal is in charge of the Grand Priory, Grand Council and Magistral Council secretary office and is responsible for proposals and preliminary investigations for appointing knightly honours.

In the past, the Seneschal (med. Latin: siniscalcus) was the tutor of royal or important noble families, later it became a title for royal or imperial high administrative or judicial officers.

Grand Chaplain

The Grand Chaplain is the spiritual, moral and religious counsellor of the members of the Order.

In the history of the Order, which was under direct papal jurisdiction and completely independent from the authority of Kings and Prices but also Bishops, the problem of Templar chaplains was very argued. In fact, chaplains were usually under Bishops. The question was solved by the Pope’s order [4], by which the Templars were allowed to have their own chaplains, own oratories, where they could hear divine office and own cemeteries to bury their dead in.

Some authors even seem to think that after this papal allowance it was organised a real minor Order of Templar Chaplains was organize.

Christian ecumenism of the Order offers it the possibility to have religious assistants, depending on the different Christian professions, both in the Commanderies and in higher level.

Grand Marshal

In the past the Grand Marshal (Latin mariscalcus and manus), was the highest commander of the Order army living in Jerusalem, where the Templar headquarters was. Because of the military situation at the time, he was a very important officer and was sometimes even identified with the Grand Master of the Order, whose office he could have carried on ad interim in case of the Master’s absence or death [5].

At the present, it is only an honorary title.

Grand Constable

This is a title, different from the above mentioned functions, which could be recognized to all Councillors, including the honorary ones, members of Grand Priory Council or Magistral Council.

The Constable (fr.: conestable, lat.: comes stabuli that means “responsible of imperial stable”), was an higher officer of the royal household responsible for different offices, in particular he was the commander of army vanguard.

Non nobis Domine, non nobis, sed Nomini Tuo da gloriam

[1] Pernoud, Régine: « Pour en finir avec le Moye Âge », Edition du Seuil, Paris, 1977 ; Haimovici Hastier – Venceslai, W. Stelio, « De Militum Templi Regula Ordinis Librisque Cognitis », Bucaresti, 2001

[2] Daillez, Laurent, « Les Templiers ces inconnues », Librairie Académique Perrin, Paris, 1972

[3] In 1139 during the Lateran Council, Innocence I definitively recognised the Primitive Rule of the Order by the Papal Bull Omne Datum Optimum, which established the Temple as a privileged Order under Rome, completely independent form Episcopal and Prices’ jurisdiction.

[4] The Templar privileges were confirmed by Pope Alexander III and then Innocence III in 1198 by the Bull Cum de viris.

[5] See the case of Jean de Terric and Richard de Bures.