ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to assess ‘Atlit’s spiritual significance for the Order in the thirteenth-century Latin kingdom and largely passes over the fortification’s military importance, since the Templars were generally focused on the salvific promises of the Holy City of Jerusalem. The Templars’ departure from ‘Atlit marked the end of the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem. Thus, from various corners of the Latin East, Templars were sentenced to be incarcerated at the fortress of ‘Atlit. In fact, ‘Atlit saw one of the most successful endeavors to “construct” spirituality in the Templar Order. The aforementioned thirteenth-century account by Philippus explicitly comments on this arrival of the relics at ‘Atlit, stating that, “in the most venerable fortress of the Templars, the body of Saint Euphemia, virgin and martyr, is kept in great veneration, which was miraculously translated there from the Greek city of Chalcedon”.
