On Mount Terminillo, in the locality of Cinque Confini, we can relive the charming legend of the Sword stuck in the Rock by a Knight templar.
A mysterious medieval story from 1307 talks about five Knights Templar who, fleeing the persecution of the King of France, Philip IV, nicknamed “Le Beau”, took refuge in the Apennine Mountains, on the slopes of Mount Terminillo, in the hope of returning home safe and sound as soon as possible.
View of Mount Terminillo
But the hope soon proved to be vain as, to make matters worse, Pope Clemente V issued a warrant of arrest for the Knights.
The five fugitives, now aware of their fate and exhausted by the bitter cold, remained camped until the winter solstice on December 21, when they decided to release themselves from their oaths to the Templar Order.
The sword in the stone in Cinque Confini
After the ceremony, one of them, Guy La Roche, stuck his sword in the stone, proclaiming the words
“pe’ guardia a lo monte e che nullo homo tolga”.
(May this sword protect the mountain and let no man dare remove it from the rock!)
The Knights went their separate ways till they found a hiding place in the neighbouring communities. Guy La Roche was hosted in a nearby monastery and became a Friar taking the name of Fra’ Bernardo. Until his death, the Brother Knights continued to gather around the sword in the stone every December 21.
The sword in the stone on Mount Terminillo – photo by appenniniweb.it
The locality of Cinque Confini is bordered by the towns of Rieti, Cittaducale, Micigliano, Borgo Velino and Castel Sant’Angelo, each one covering one piece of the territory around the rock. Just like the knights, bound by religion, morality and chivalric rules, the inhabitants of this villages are united by an indissoluble tie.
But, as it often happens in the stories of myths and mysteries, there are skeptics who consider the episode a mere invention, however ingenious, by the Mountain Community. In any case, the legend has undoubtedly added a touch of charm and magic to the beauty of this place.
It is assumed that the five knights camped on the “Plain de la Roche”, today’s Pian di Roche or Rosce. The sword can be found along the Planetarium Itinerary, an impressive, interesting thematic path.