On July 4, 1187, the Crusader army, led by King Guy of Jerusalem, marched across the searing plains of Galilee to relieve besieged Tiberias. But Saladin was waiting. He cut off their water, surrounded them, and set the dry grass ablaze. As smoke and heat choked the air, the Knights Templar and Hospitallers formed a desperate circle around the True Cross, the holiest relic in Christendom.
Hour after hour, they fought — outnumbered, dehydrated, burning beneath the sun. Their horses fell first, th... moreOn July 4, 1187, the Crusader army, led by King Guy of Jerusalem, marched across the searing plains of Galilee to relieve besieged Tiberias. But Saladin was waiting. He cut off their water, surrounded them, and set the dry grass ablaze. As smoke and heat choked the air, the Knights Templar and Hospitallers formed a desperate circle around the True Cross, the holiest relic in Christendom.
Hour after hour, they fought — outnumbered, dehydrated, burning beneath the sun. Their horses fell first, then the men. Still, they did not yield. When captured, nearly every Templar was executed by Saladin’s order, their bodies piled beneath the Horns of Hattin.
The road to Jerusalem lay open. The Crusader kingdom collapsed. Yet in their annihilation, the Templars became immortal — symbols of discipline, faith, and defiance.
They didn’t just die at Hattin. They were forged into legend.
Priory of St. Michael the Archangel
Miles Domini mei Christi
