Le Petit Chateau Peltzer — a Templar fortress in Israel built from 1218 during the Fifth Crusade — sits on a promontory south of Haifa and once supported up to 4,000 troops. Named Pilgrim's Castle after the volunteer laborers who built it, the fortress featured thick outer walls, freshwater wells, and a protected harbor. It withstood Ayyubid attacks before the Templars abandoned it in 1291 after the fall of Acre, ending the Crusader Kingdom. 🏰⚔️
Le Petit Chateau Peltzer excavations reveal largest crusader cemetery with non-standard burial orientations
Key facts
- Templar fortress built starting 1218 on a promontory south of Haifa, Israel, named Pilgrim's Castle after volunteer laborers
- Outer walls stand 15 meters high and 6 meters thick, with room for 4,000 troops under siege
- Fortress contains three freshwater wells and a protected harbor
- Ayyubid siege in 1220 failed; Sultan Baybars' attack around 1265 also failed
- Templars voluntarily abandoned the fortress in 1291 after the fall of Acre, ending the Crusader Kingdom
- Cemetery north of the walls contains nearly 2,000 graves, the largest and best-preserved crusader cemetery ever found
- Archaeological excavations have been ongoing since 2015
- Unlike typical Christian burials, the graves do not face east
- Some graves contained artifacts pointing to Cyprus rather than the Holy Land
- DNA analysis linked remains to living descendants in France with an 800-year unbroken bloodline
- The fortress is now inside an Israeli naval base housing the secretive Shayetet 13 commando unit
Site mentioned
📍 Le Petit Chateau Peltzer🌍 Show on the globe
Sources
Château Pèlerin, Atlit, Israelspottinghistory.com
The Knights Templar began building the fortress in 1218 during the Fifth Crusade. One of the major Crusader fortresses, it could support up to 4,000 troops ...
Château Pèlerin | Military Wikimilitary-history.fandom.com
The Knights Templar began building it in 1218 during the Fifth Crusade. One of the major Crusader fortresses, it could support up to 4,000 troops in siege ...
Atlit Crusaders Fortressdannythedigger.com
Located 13 miles south of Haifa, the Medieval Fortress of Atlit was erected in 1218 CE by the Templar knights to reinforce their hold along the Mediterranean ...
Chateau Pelerin, 1218cojs.org
Chateau Pelerin, also known as Atlit Fortress, was built by the Knights Templar in 1218 during the Fifth Crusade. It was situated on the northern coast of ...
Château Pèlerinen.wikipedia.org
The Knights Templar began building the fortress in 1218 during the Fifth Crusade. One of the major Crusader fortresses, it could support up to 4,000 troops ...
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