Maintaining the Past, Securing the Future in the Obituary of the Temple of Reims

Abstract

This article argues that the Obituary of the Temple of Reims (BnF lat. 15054), a necrological manuscript initially created for the Augustinian canons of the church of La Trinité in Reims and later given to the Templars in 1170 when they took control of the church, became a tool for the Templars in Reims to package their corporate identity into a fruitful form for building new networks of supporters. The Templars preserved the manuscript and made additions to its martyrology and obituary, creating a symbolic link between their own history, the manuscript’s previous owners, and their new local patrons. The changes made to the manuscript over the course of the thirteenth century-the additions of remembrances for new donors, martyrs, and Templar leaders, as well as financial accounts-provide insight into the social organization and religious profile of the Templars in general and the management of the individual European commandery of Reims specifically.