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A few days ago I had the honour of serving as keynote speaker at the International Conference “Saint Martin, precursor of the creation of Christian Chivalric Orders”. The second edition of this international conference was held on Friday 24 April 2024 and organised by The Sovereign Order of the Saint-Martin Templar Knights (OSTSM) together with esteemed cultural institutions including the Medieval Museum of Arad: a city whose very landscape bears the imprint of medieval passage and protection, situated along vital crossroads that once connected Western Christendom to the Byzantine East, and near routes travelled by crusaders, pilgrims, and military orders such as the Knights Templar and the Teutonic Order as they moved toward the Holy Land. The conference explored themes from early Christianity to the Salt Road and monastic traditions of the Mureș Valley, gathering over thirty distinguished speakers and scholars whose work will be published in a forthcoming volume.
St. Martin became a true example throughout the history of mankind, being considered the patron of soldiers, the poor, and the wronged. Elected Bishop of Tours in 371, Saint Martin of Tours dedicated his life to serving God and his fellow man, embodying a model of sanctified knighthood long before the formal emergence of medieval military orders. His legacy became a spiritual foundation for these orders—an ideal of the miles Christi, the “soldier of Christ”—in which martial duty was inseparable from humility, charity, and moral responsibility. In this sense, St. Martin stands as a guiding figure for the chivalric ethos that would later define institutions such as the Knights Templar and the Teutonic Order, inspiring a vision of knighthood rooted not only in defence, but in compassion and service. Like the ancient knights who followed in this tradition, he represents the enduring pursuit of a world where all that is human might be fully realised in balance and harmony—through the promotion of Christian and moral values of tolerance, love, dedication, wisdom, and philanthropy.
I was profoundly moved—almost stilled into silence—when during the conference, I was unexpectedly awarded the Cross of Merit (Meriti Crux), the highest honour bestowed upon a non-member of The Sovereign Order of the Saint-Martin Templar Knights (OSTSM), in recognition of my research and contributions to Templar history. Conferred for meaningful service to community, culture, education, and the preservation of shared heritage, it carries a significance far deeper than distinction alone. Described as a “seal of inner calling,” it is reserved for those who embody, in both work and spirit, the enduring chivalric values of dedication, charity, and loyalty—values that transcend time and continue to shape our modern world. To receive such an honour, among individuals devoted to upholding these ideals, felt less like an accolade and more like a quiet, humbling acknowledgment—one that seemed to echo not only in the present, but across the continuum of history itself.
My name has now been added in the chivalric register as recipient of the Meriti Crux (Cross of Merit) and can be seen here (click here). I am deeply grateful to Grand Master Aurelian Roland beBoit and the Sovereign Order of the Templars of Saint Martin (OSTSM) for this distinction and for acknowledging my efforts in restoring the overlooked history of the Knights Templar as well as my work in preserving cultural heritage.
“The true measure of people is revealed in time.Those who know that tradition does not mean venerating ashes, but keeping the fire alive, gather in a common destiny, where inner strength surpasses any power in the world. Just as philanthropy is the gift of chosen hearts, so keeping the fire alive is not given to everyone, but only to those who are called. If you feel this inner calling, don't let it die out. Carry the fire, defend it, and pass it on, like a flame that never goes out. In the fraternity of the Sovereign Order of the Templars of Saint Martin, the fire of tradition becomes light, and your calling is fulfilled.” - Aurelian Roland Boiț – Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of the Templars of Saint Martin
Cross of Merit (Meriti Crux) – The Highest Recognition
Cross of Merit of the Sovereign Order of the Templars of Saint Martin
Emblem of Honor, Spiritual Continuity and Chivalry
Lived in the Service of Humanity
OSTSM established the Cross of Merit distinction in 2022, in recognition of a life lived with dignity, selflessness and vocation in the service of humanity, therefore I am deeply humbled to have received this great award. It is awarded annually, in a solemn setting, during the Arad Community Ball, in the Great Hall of the Cultural Palace in Arad. I was awarded it in this great hall too, where I offered my presentation as key speaker on the Religion and the Sacred Feminine in the Knights Templar, Suppressed by Christianity and Academia. The decoration can be offered to both OSTSM members and personalities from civil society, academia, culture and diplomacy, from Romania or abroad. The total number is limited to a maximum of 200 living people or active institutions.
In the tradition of European chivalric orders, where the recognition of merit constitutes a bridge between the past and the present, the Sovereign Order of the Templars of Saint Martin confers the "Cross of Merit" as the supreme mark of honor.
This distinction is not just an external adornment, but the seal of an inner calling, a sign of dedication, philanthropy and loyalty to the values of chivalry.
