Seborga was an ancient feud of the Counts of Ventimiglia. In 954 Count Guido bestowed the castle, the Saint Michael's Church in Ventimigila and the big portion of land to the monks of Lerins.
In 1079 Seborga became a Principality of the Holy Roman Empire. It also boasts a Templar and Cistercian origin. Fact or hoax?
"Saint Bernard of Clairvaux is said to have arrived in Seborga in February 1117, to join Gondemar and Rossal whom he had sent for June 1113, in order to protect the "Great Secret." The reigning prince at the time was Prince Abbot Edward, born near Tulon. In September 1118 he ordained the first Knights Templar who formed the famous "Poor Militia of Christ."
They were Abbot Gondemar and Rossal, Andre de Montbar, Count Hugues I de Champagne, Hugues de Payns, Payen de Mont Didier, Geoffroy de
Saint-Omer, Archambaud de Saint Amand and Geoffroy Bisol. The Principality of Seborga became the first and only sovereign Cistercian State in history.
On the first Advent Sunday of 1127 the nine Templars returned from Jerusalem to Seborga. Saint Bernard was waiting for them together with Friar Gerard de Martigues who in 1112 had formed the order of the Knights of Malta (the Knights Hospitaller as a monastic Order was founded by Gerard de Martigues, whose role as founder was confirmed by the papal bull Pie postulatio voluntatis issued by Pope Paschal II in 1113, TN).
Of the Knights Templar 15 were also Princes of the Cistercian Principality of Seborga. One of them, Guillaume de Chartres, died in Seborga as result of being wounded in the Holy land.
In 1611 the last known vow of silence took place in the presence of father Cesario da San Paolo who also became Grand Master. As a remembrance of this day on every roof of the Principality were placed 13 roof tiles with the incision-number 13 the date 1611, the letters C.S., and the Templar cross.
Seborga remained a Cistercian State until Jan. 20, 1729, when the Principality was sold to Vittorio Amedeo II, of Savoy, Prince of Piedmont and King of Sardinia. But this change was never registered with the kingdom of Sardinia nor the House of Savoy.
Later in 1748 by the Treaty of Aquisgrana the Principality of Seborga was not integrated into the republic of Genoa, neither was it mentioned in the Viennese Congress of 1815 as part of the Kingdom of Sardinia. There is no mention of the Principality of Seborga in the Act of Unification of Italy in 1861. And last but not least the Principality of Seborga has never been considered part of the Italian Republic formed in 1946. "
Other links to Seborga and the Knights Templar (NB: trustworthyness not checked)
http://www.thing.de
http://www.seborga.net
http://www.histoiresecretedestempliers.com
http://en.wikipedia.org
http://principalityofseborga.org
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