The Museum of Templar Ages recently completed its first year of operation in the village of Pano Arodes, in Paphos.

Evidence for the presence of the Knights’ Templar in the village is well-known, according to the Pano Arodes deputy mayor Mattheos Stefanou, who said the museum was created as a joint venture between the Erasmus+ programme and the community council.

According to historians the Knights Templar have been present in Cyprus since 1191 when they bought the Island from King Richard the Lionheart of England for a sum of 100,000 gold Bezants.

The Templars established their administrative headquarters in Nicosia but in order to keep hold of the rest of the island they established military holdings in Finikas, near the Asprokremmos dam, Kaloyiannakia, Anogyra, Platanisteia and Agia Irini, from which they governed Paphos and Limassol. Historical references mention their presence in at least five other villages in the wider area of Laona, including Pano and Kato Arodes.

“The programme as a whole aims to teach young people about knightly chivalry and uses the metaphor of the knights’ ‘code-of-honour’ to teach European values to young people,” head of the locally based Erasmus programme, Irina Kurtinatsia, from Latvia, told the Cyprus Mail during a recent visit.

The museum is housed in the village’s former cooperative buildings which were ceded by the community council to the Latvian volunteers, and includes artefacts gathered from abroad to represent the era. It is run by part-time guides who divide their time between their home country and Cyprus.

The small but intriguing facility houses interactive exhibits, such as dress-up clothing and models of weapons used by the knights.

These include swords, bows, arrows, spears and lances, as well as chainmail armour, crowns, and day-to-day clothing such as would have been worn during the mediaeval period.

The Erasmus programme’s stated aims take a somewhat romanticised view of the knights’ activities on the island as in reality it is believed they rapidly became unpopular among the native mainly Orthodox population which plotted a rebellion against them culminating in a pre-emptive wholesale massacre of the locals by the knights, on Easter Day 1192.

Shortly afterwards, the Templars sold the island to Guy de Lusignan. The destruction of archives in 1571 when the Ottomans overran the island, left many unanswered questions about their reign–and opened the door to legend and mystique in popular retellings of their story.

Officially endorsed by the Catholic church around 1129, the Order became a favourite charity throughout Christendom and grew rapidly in power. In their distinctive white mantles with a red cross, the knights were bound by a monastic vow of poverty.

While in practice this meant that each knight individually owned relatively few worldly possessions, it did not stop their fighting units from being among the most feared and skilled during the Crusades.

The Order’s official raison d’être was to protect pilgrims to the Holy Lands, to assist in the Crusades, and to rebuild the Temple of Solomon.

Initially keeping pilgrims safe by not carrying valuables, the non-combatant members of the Order eventually managed a large economic infrastructure throughout medieval Europe, acting as Europe’s first bankers and facilitating transfers of funds.

An indication of their power and status within Catholicism is that despite the fact that lending money in return for interest, seen as usury, was forbidden, the Church tolerated the Templars’ sidestepping of this rule through clever loopholes, such as charging rent or mortgaging property in lieu.

Back in the modern era, Kurtinatsia is keen to promote the fully funded European youth programme, which aims to bring youth aged 15 and up to the village for an all-expenses covered weeklong “fun and networking” experience.

“It is a pity more local youth don’t take advantage of the programme,” Kurtinatsia said, as most of the participants come from abroad.

These include students from Norway, Spain and Germany, as well as the Middle East. The variously themed programmes run about four-to-five times a year, with openings for as many as 40 attendees.

The groups live for a week in Pano Arodes where they attend workshops and may engage in community renovation or other improvement projects.

The completion of each cohort’s programme is marked by a communal performance held at the village square, to which residents and others are invited. The highlight often includes a fire-dancing troupe from Latvia, which puts on an impressive display using lit torches and flaming rings.

The Museum of Templar Ages, operates on a volunteer basis Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday from 10am until 2pm. Visitors, including school groups, are encouraged to call ahead for guided tours at 95734595.