The Crusades and the Templars 77Abbey; the bell tower, the tower of the crossing of the transept, the tri-
forium of the nave, and the choir of the church of La Charite sur Loire,
a former Cluny priory; the bell tower of the transept of Saint Philbert
of Tournus; the apse and transept of the cathedral of Valence; the bell
tower of Saint Peter's Basilica in Vienne; the nave of the church of
Champagne (Ardeche); and the multifoil portals of numerous churches
in the southern half of the former Bourges diocese. The same influences
have also been detected in the dormitory of the convent of Saint Gereon
in Cologne, in the church of Saint Quirin in Neuss, in the church of the
Holy Apostles in Cologne and in many of the houses of this same city,
and in the church of Limburg.^30 No less curious are the borders and
frames that derive from Arabic letters and that even carry transcriptions
in Kufic of passages of the Qur'an (which can be seen in Moissac, Puy,
and Saint Guilhem le Desert in the Herault region).
Templars and MuslimsOn the Christian side, the Benedictines and Templars played an impor-
tant role in the propagation of these Muslim influences. Of course, the
Templars, recipients of Arabic knowledge and culture, which they then
passed on to others, did not necessarily explore these influences
through high scientific and metaphysical speculation. They were pri-
marily men of action, warriors and builders.* From their extensive rela-
tions with Ismailian sects and Arab corporations, the Templars were at
least aware of and largely adopted—if only on an operative plane—cer-
tain Arab organization structures, rites, symbols, practices, and trade
secrets. Many brother servants had already been initiated in their secu-
lar lives to similar operative rituals. They were particularly open to
receiving this new contribution and transplanting it to the West, where
the social fabric had become propitious for its introduction.
It is a fact that the architecture of the castles and fortified churches
built by the Templars show clear evidence of ancient Arab lessons. "It
*The Templars were not completely uneducated, however. In one sermon, Jacques de
Vitry speaks of "educated brothers who the commanders pointed in the direction of the-
ological schools and secular studies" (Marion Melville, La Vie des Templiers, Paris:
Gallimard, 1951, 175).