Photo of La Couvertoirade - a virtually intact medieval fortified town

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This mediaeval village on the Larzac plateau is preserved as it was in the time of the Templar Knights and the Hospitaliers (Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem). It is rated as a 'Most Beautiful French Village'. The Knights Templars were "warrior monks" and played a key part in many battles of the Crusades. The full name of the order was Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon (Latin: pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Solomonici). It was a Christian military order that existed for two centuries in the Middle Ages. It was created after the First Crusade of 1096 to ensure the safety of European pilgrims visiting Jerusalem. The Knights Hospitaller (also known as Knights of Rhodes, Knights of Malta, Cavaliers of Malta, and the Order of St John of Jerusalem) was founded around 1100 and looked after the care and defense of pilgrims to the Holy Land.

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Size: 5513px × 4440px
Location: La Couvertoirade Larzac Aveyron France
Photo credit: © Tony Cunningham / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: ancient, christianity, city, couvertoirade, crusade, fortified, france, holiday, horizontal, hospitalier, la, landscape, larzac, religion, sightseeing, south, southern, templier, tourism, tourist, town, traditional, vacation, village, walled