Best-preserved of Bornholm's four 12th-century round churches, built c.1165 and believed by researchers to have been constructed by the Knights Templar. Contains runestones with symbols matching those reportedly found on the Oak Island 90-foot stone.
About This Site
Nylars Church is the best-preserved of four medieval round churches on the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. Built around 1165, the church features a distinctive circular design with thick defensive walls and a central column supporting a vaulted ceiling. Researchers including Danish author Erling Haagensen have argued that the round churches of Bornholm were constructed by the Knights Templar, who maintained a significant presence on the island during the 12th and 13th centuries. The church's interior contains carved runestones dating to the 4th century, preserved within the medieval structure, alongside Templar-associated symbols and markings that have attracted the attention of historians tracing the order's movements across northern Europe.
Connection to Oak Island
In Season 11, Rick Lagina, Doug Crowell, and members of the team visited Nylars Church during a research trip to Denmark with Corjan Mol. Author Erling Haagensen told the group that Vikings helped the Templars prepare for transporting treasure to the New World. Inside the church, Rick examined runestones dating to the 4th century and noticed symbols matching those reportedly found on the 90-foot stone from the Money Pit, which was historically described as Swedish porphyry with an olive-green colour. Rick also spotted what appeared to be a Templar cross at the top of one runestone, suggesting a link between the pre-Christian carved stones and the later Templar occupation of the site. The presence of matching symbols on both the Bornholm runestones and the Oak Island 90-foot stone raises the possibility that the Templars drew on Scandinavian symbolic traditions when encoding information about the Money Pit.
Fieldwork Notes
Visited during Season 11 by Rick Lagina, Doug Crowell, and team members, accompanied by Corjan Mol. Author Erling Haagensen guided the group through the church interior. The team documented runestone symbols matching the 90-foot stone description and identified a possible Templar cross carved into one of the 4th-century stones.
