Church in the parish of Fonte Arcada in Póvoa de Lanhoso, northern Portugal, where the Knights Templar received one of their earliest European land grants. Considered by researcher Corjan Mol to be the oldest Templar commandery in Portugal.
About This Site
The Church of Fonte Arcada stands in the parish of Fonte Arcada in the municipality of Póvoa de Lanhoso in northern Portugal. The church was donated to the Knights Templar by Lady Teresa in 1126, during the earliest period of the order's establishment in the Iberian Peninsula. During the Crusades, Templar knights arrived in Portugal at the invitation of King Afonso I, who granted them land and wealth in exchange for military assistance in battling the Moors. Researcher Corjan Mol considers Fonte Arcada the oldest Templar commandery in Portugal, while Templar historian Joao Fiandeiro describes the church as "God's fortress," reflecting its dual role as a religious site and a fortified position during the Reconquista.
Connection to Oak Island
In Season 9, Rick Lagina, Doug Crowell, Alex Lagina, and Peter Fornetti traveled to Portugal with researcher Corjan Mol and Templar historian Joao Fiandeiro. Their first stop was the Church of Fonte Arcada, where the group searched the walls for symbols and mason marks. Alex discovered a carving that matched a symbol found on the 90 Foot Stone from the Oak Island Money Pit, one that could represent a maker's mark identifying the person who carved the original stone.
Outside the church, Corjan showed the group a Templar cross on the exterior wall. Doug Crowell noticed a circle with a dot at its centre, a symbol that also appears on the 90 Foot Stone and the H/O stone and is believed to represent gold. When Doug asked Joao whether the H/O stone could be of Portuguese origin, Joao replied that if the Portuguese were on Oak Island, they could have made it. Corjan added that the same circle-and-dot symbol appears over the entrance to the castle of Tomar, the Templar headquarters in Portugal. The visit established direct parallels between Portuguese Templar symbolic traditions and markings on two of Oak Island's most significant artifacts.
Fieldwork Notes
Visited during Season 9 by Rick Lagina, Doug Crowell, Alex Lagina, Peter Fornetti, Corjan Mol, and Joao Fiandeiro. The team documented a carving matching the 90 Foot Stone, a Templar cross on the exterior wall, and a circle-with-dot gold symbol matching both the 90 Foot Stone and the H/O stone.
