Hugues de Payens found the location of the Ark

According to Old French translation of William of Tyre’s History of Events Beyond the Sea (written 64 years after the death of Hugues de Payens), the future Grand Master of Knights Templar was born and raised in the village of Payns, about 10 km from Troyes, in Champagne (!!).

In documents of that period of that region one Hugo de Pedano, Montiniaci dominus is mentioned as a witness to a donation by Count Hugh of Champagne (!!!) in a document of 1085. The same name appears on a number of other charters up to 1113 also relating to Count Hugh of Champagne, suggesting that Hugo de Pedano or Hugo dominus de Peanz was a member of the Count’s court.

Based on the information, most (but not all!) historians surmise that when Hugh of Champagne made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1104–07 and visited Jerusalem for a second time in 1114–16 he was accompanied by Hugh of Payens.

After Hugh of Champagne returned to France, Hugues de Payens remained in the Holy Land… unfortunately, no one has any idea why or for what purpose. However, in 1120 Hugues de Payens was in Jerusalem a s he approached the King with his idea of establishing a new military-religious order

Another proof is a charter with “Hugonis de Peans” in the witness list from Jerusalem in 1120 and again in 1123. In 1125 his name appears again as a witness to a donation, this time accompanied by his title “magister militum Templi“.

IMHO, the reality was very different. The future Grand Master of Templars had nothing to do with abovementioned Hugo de Pedano; he met Hugh of Champagne some time in 1116 when the latter was on a pilgrimage in Jerusalem.

Somehow, Hugues de Payens – or whatever his real name was – identified the approximate location of the Ark of the Covenant (“where to dig”) and approached the Count with a proposal to get it.

Count agreed; provided de Payens with some seed money for this venture project (de Payens immediately put together a team of treasure hunters); returned to France; enlisted the support of his relative Bernard of Clairvaux; the latter put King Baldwin and the Latin Patriarch on board… and in 1118 the team got the Arc.

After it was decided to keep the find secret, it was decided to create an order of knights to keep and protected. It appears that Hugues de Payens had sufficient training and experience in warfare – and was good enough military commander to qualify as the Grand Master of a newly minted Knights Templar.

And that’s how he became one.