The secret history of freemasonry : its origins and connection to the Knights Templar

"Historians often make a sharp distinction between the operative masonry of the Middle Ages - referring to the associations of builders that formed during that time - and the speculative Freemasonry of modern times, emphasizing that there is no direct bridge connecting the two. In addition, they have scoffed at Masonic claims concerning the close relationships between the Lodge and the Temple. Using medieval archives housed throughout Europe, historian Paul Naudon reveals that there was in fact a very intimate connection between the masons and the Knights Templar. Church records of medieval Paris show that most, if not all, of the masons of that time were residents of the Templar censive, which allowed them to work on the Temple's large building projects and enjoy exemptions and liberties from both Church and state through the protection of this powerful order."--Jacket.