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Holy Grail linked to Prestwick church
By Roisin McGroarty
IT was the vessel drunk from by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper, was chased across three continents by intrepid explorer Indiana Jones and inspired the second biggest selling book of all time.
Now the Holy Grail has been linked to a small plot of earth in a sleepy cemetery in a quiet corner of South Ayrshire after an incredible secret unearthed in a Prestwick church revealed a startling connection between the town and the fabled Holy Grail.
An investigation into the origins and final resting place of the Knights Templar - the legendary group believed to have been the guardians of the mythical grail - has discovered one may be buried in the town’s Old St Nicholas Church.
The amazing claims were made by two mysterious researchers who spoke at the monthly meeting of the History of Prestwick group this month.
Group organiser Alistair Cochrane explained: “Prestwick has a very strong background with the Knight Templars. A few of us have known for years that there is local connections to it but it was only recently that even we discovered a wee stone, or plaque, in the church with the Maltese Cross on it so you are learning something all the time.
“The Templars had basically ruled most of the world.”
The plaque is housed at the former St Nicholas Church, which now lies in ruins at Kirk Street, stating that buried within the grounds are Knight Templars.
Alistair continued: “The presentation night went really well and we welcomed our 12,000th visitor so it was even more special.
“It was a very good lecture there had been a lot of work done by the investigators with a lot of information about the Knights Templars all over the world and in Prestwick and there’s a grave site in St Nicholas Church – it was an interesting talk.
“There was also a lot of feedback and questions so it was a really fascinating subject.”
About 60 people from around South Ayrshire attended the meeting at the 65 Club on Main Street.
Knights Templar were a military religious order with vows of chastity founded in 1119AD to protect Christian pilgrims visiting the Holy Land.
Members came over and based themselves in Scotland, becoming financially powerful and because of this became persecuted in Europe.
Scotland was one of the few safe havens for Templars and many chose to remain - thus making the amazing link with Prestwick possible.
The Templars shot to worldwide fame thanks to the release of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code book and the Hollywood blockbuster it inspired starring Tom Hanks. Tourists from all over the world congregated at the Rosslyn Chapel in Midlothian because of its starring role in the thrilling novel.
Now Prestwick could become the hotspot for conspiracy seekers and historians trying to uncover more of the mystery to the Holy Grail.
Alistair said: “There is still a lot of discussion as to what really is the Holy Grail, it’s really fascinating and something we’ll always wonder.”
- If you have a surprising fact or story about your local area then contact our news team on 01292 267 631 or email [email protected].
kenb
By Roisin McGroarty
IT was the vessel drunk from by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper, was chased across three continents by intrepid explorer Indiana Jones and inspired the second biggest selling book of all time.
Now the Holy Grail has been linked to a small plot of earth in a sleepy cemetery in a quiet corner of South Ayrshire after an incredible secret unearthed in a Prestwick church revealed a startling connection between the town and the fabled Holy Grail.
An investigation into the origins and final resting place of the Knights Templar - the legendary group believed to have been the guardians of the mythical grail - has discovered one may be buried in the town’s Old St Nicholas Church.
The amazing claims were made by two mysterious researchers who spoke at the monthly meeting of the History of Prestwick group this month.
Group organiser Alistair Cochrane explained: “Prestwick has a very strong background with the Knight Templars. A few of us have known for years that there is local connections to it but it was only recently that even we discovered a wee stone, or plaque, in the church with the Maltese Cross on it so you are learning something all the time.
“The Templars had basically ruled most of the world.”
The plaque is housed at the former St Nicholas Church, which now lies in ruins at Kirk Street, stating that buried within the grounds are Knight Templars.
Alistair continued: “The presentation night went really well and we welcomed our 12,000th visitor so it was even more special.
“It was a very good lecture there had been a lot of work done by the investigators with a lot of information about the Knights Templars all over the world and in Prestwick and there’s a grave site in St Nicholas Church – it was an interesting talk.
“There was also a lot of feedback and questions so it was a really fascinating subject.”
About 60 people from around South Ayrshire attended the meeting at the 65 Club on Main Street.
Knights Templar were a military religious order with vows of chastity founded in 1119AD to protect Christian pilgrims visiting the Holy Land.
Members came over and based themselves in Scotland, becoming financially powerful and because of this became persecuted in Europe.
Scotland was one of the few safe havens for Templars and many chose to remain - thus making the amazing link with Prestwick possible.
The Templars shot to worldwide fame thanks to the release of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code book and the Hollywood blockbuster it inspired starring Tom Hanks. Tourists from all over the world congregated at the Rosslyn Chapel in Midlothian because of its starring role in the thrilling novel.
Now Prestwick could become the hotspot for conspiracy seekers and historians trying to uncover more of the mystery to the Holy Grail.
Alistair said: “There is still a lot of discussion as to what really is the Holy Grail, it’s really fascinating and something we’ll always wonder.”
- If you have a surprising fact or story about your local area then contact our news team on 01292 267 631 or email [email protected].
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