Tonight on Legend Quest...
It's time to take on the greatest quest of all...
The search for the legendary cup of Christ...
The Holy Grail.
Look at the top, Kinga. What on earth is that?
And where my search takes me is completely unexpected.
Look, that's it right there. That's the Pilgrim's Monument.
I see this as a huge arrow towards the grail.
That's precisely what we've been tracking down.
My name is Ashley Cowie.
I'm an author and archaeological explorer...
[ Hinges creaking ]
Specializing in ancient symbols
and mysterious legends.
I've spent years
studying some of the world's most fascinating relics.
Now I'm on the hunt to find out where they are.
Some would hope that these secrets remain hidden.
But I'll leave no stone unturned
to uncover the truth in my Legend Quest.
It may be the most sacred and legendary relic
in all of history-- The Holy Grail,
a simple golden cup,
but it's said to have miraculous powers,
and it's launched many an epic quest,
including my own.
Legend records that, at his last supper,
Jesus drank from a cup
forged from either copper, pewter, or gold.
That same cup was later used by Joseph of Arimathea
to catch Christ's blood after his crucifixion.
When that happened, it's said the cup was empowered
with the ability to heal any wound
and was destined to one day guide people
to a new, better world.
That cup was the Holy Grail.
With his savior slain,
legend says Joseph fled to britain,
carrying the grail with him.
There, he lived out his days
establishing a line of descendants
charged with protecting the grail.
As time passed,
these protectors came to be known as the knights templar.
In the 1300s,
the pope decided the templars had become too powerful
and cast them out.
They were systematically hunted down and killed.
Surviving templars fled to countries
outside of papal control,
like Switzerland, Norway, and Scotland.
The fugitive templars took with them everything they could
as they disappeared into hiding.
Numerous legends and my own research
all indicate that the grail went to Scotland,
and that's where we pick up the trail--
Edinburgh, Scotland,
at a chapel I've been studying for the past 15 years.
Cowie: All right, guys, we're just about here
at Rosslyn chapel.
This is just South of Edinburgh, in Scotland.
People truly believe, in this nation and britain,
that the knights templar took that grail to Scotland,
installed it somewhere beneath Rosslyn chapel,
and the sinclair family of Roslin
became the keepers of the Holy Grail.
Now, however you perceive the grail
and whatever you think it is,
there's a lot of evidence to suggest that, in some way,
the templars did pass the grail on to the Sinclairs
and that Rosslyn chapel holds some sort of information
or clue to the whereabouts of the grail.
So, here we are, Kinga, at Rosslyn chapel--
The Grail chapel, as it's called.
Rosslyn chapel was recently thrust into the limelight
as the location for the conclusion
of the modern grail-quest novel "the Da Vinci code."
But it's because of author Dan brown's book
that when we arrive, we can't get in.
You can see yourself,
it's surrounded by scaffolding and building workers.
They're doing repairs there.
When Dan brown released "the Da Vinci code,"
so many grail seekers traveled from 'round the world,
the visitors that summer went up from 12,000 people
to 198,000 people.
They discovered the next year that the moisture
coming off these visitors' breath
started to decompose the symbols.
And inside today,
you can see the sandstone starting to fall in--
Literally falling into itself and crumbling away,
so we can't get in here today.
No one can get in there.
In his book,
Dan brown concluded that the Holy Grail
was not an object
but the female bloodline of Jesus,
called the sacred feminine.
But I believe that the grail is real--
A chalice that has been protected for 2,000 years
and that Rosslyn holds the key to finding it.
It's called the grail chapel for a reason.
Now, it's said that Henry de sinclair,
one of the ancestors of the builders of this church here,
was a knights templar.
Now, the theory is that he was bestowed with the grail.
The grail was taken to Scotland.
In 1446, when William sinclair built Rosslyn chapel,
the grail was said to have been taken here
and kept by the sinclair family here.
Every brick holds a volume of knowledge.
It truly is the perfect shrine for the Holy Grail.
I've been working at this chapel for 15 years,
studying its secrets.
Several years ago,
while examining the symbols inside the chapel,
I decoded a painting that provided
the first real evidence of Rosslyn's connection
to the medieval templar--
"Templar knight at Rosslyn chapel."
However, even more important than the painting itself
is what it led me to.
In the background of the painting,
there's a staircase.
That staircase leads to a crypt in Rosslyn.
And it was in that crypt that I uncovered a secret
that had been hidden for centuries--
One that I believe is tied directly to the Holy Grail.
So, come on, we'll walk 'round here.
I'm gonna point out some key sort of parts of the church
in relation to the grail legends.
Here it is, Kinga.
What's this?
This is the oldest part of Rosslyn chapel.
This is an 11th-century window.
So it's been here since the 1000s.
It's a 1,000-year-old-- This was carved.
But right in here is the crypt.
What's in there?
In here, on this wall, is a carving
which a lot of people assumed,
when it was first discovered,
was the outline for a mason to design
one of the roof pinnacles.
Mm-hmm.
My research has shown
that's absolutely not what it is.
It's a section of a medieval carved map.
Rosslyn chapel is known for its secrets,
but this may be its greatest.
If you look at this carving I found in the crypt,
on the most simple level,
it looks like a cup sitting on top of a tower
or pedestal--
My first clue at it might be a grail map.
But the details go deeper than that.
The line down the center could represent
the sacred meridian or the rose line--
A line which many people know comes right through Rosslyn.
The middle horizontal line could be the equator.
Once those two guidelines are established,
the diamonds, or lozenges, mark upward lines of latitude,
which go right through locations significant
to the sinclair family,
who built Rosslyn and most likely this map.
All this information allows me to position the carving
on a map of the world, like this.
Even though I can explain so many parts of the map,
it still remains a mystery, the greatest of which
is this star on the left edge of the cup.
What is it? Why is it over here?
Why a star?
I believe the star is the key to unlocking all its secrets.
To do that, I've enlisted my good friend and mentor
George Stewart to help.
He's the grand prior of the knights templar
here in Scotland
and has access to history and knowledge
about Rosslyn and the templars
that few others would.
Maybe he can shed some light on this mysterious symbol.
This map I've been obsessing about for 15 years--
I think I've cracked it.
Ah, yes, yeah.
I reckon this might be a map to the whereabouts
of the Holy Grail.
We know that when you overlay this on a globe,
three elements of the four on this map, we can identify--
The equator, we know this is the rose line--
The four lozenges represent four world latitude lines.
Right.
This here is one of the only parts
I can't define or pin down-- This star right here.
This is what I reckon holds the secret to the grail--
Right there, this star.
I wanted to talk to you about that,
and you said you knew something about that star
that you could share with me.
La Merica? La Merica.
George goes on to tell me
that when the templars were being hunted,
a legend arose about a star-- La Merica--
that would point the way to a new land
where the templars could live free and in peace.
And there's a star right on the coast of the United States,
the New World.
It fits.
Can it be just coincidence that the name of the star
is so similar to the name of the country?
Is it possible that the country derived its name
from the legendary star?
And of course, the grail legend says
that it would be taken to found a New World
or a new kingdom...
Of course, that's correct.
With new hope, with Christian values and virtue.
What if the Sinclairs thought that the New World
at the heart of the grail legend
was the newly discovered land to the west
and that to fulfill its destiny,
the grail needed to go there?
It's possible this map is telling us
the Holy Grail was sent to the New World--
To America.
But how did it get there? When did it get there?
Came here?
Came to Rosslyn chapel.
A pilgrim elder came here
three weeks before setting sail for the New World.
That was risky.
The distance he would have had to travel
to get back to the port
from where the pilgrims set sail
would have put him in danger of missing the trip.
It must have been something really important
that brought him here.
You know, we know that the Sinclairs
are the keepers of the grail here.
What if they passed that to the pilgrim forefather
who was here...
To be taken to fulfill its destiny in the west--
The establishment of the new kingdom,
La Merica? Uh-huh.
Let's just assume for a moment
that this is the logical path that the grail took,
founded America.
Look at the scale of that star.
It's enormous.
That would pretty much cover the entirety
of the eastern seaboard of America.
Cowie: Where do we begin? Maybe the center of the star?
Well, actually, let me add to your theory here
that the star covers the entire east coast of America.
But the pilgrims landed somewhere specific--
Provincetown, Massachusetts, right on the tip of Cape Cod.
The pilgrim elder visiting here weeks before he set sail...
It's amazing.
Sinclair's passing the grail to the pilgrims,
and onwards to the new land
and to establish, most importantly,
the destiny of the grail to the west, La Merica.
Yes.
We're going to Massachusetts,
to the place where the pilgrims
first set foot in the New World. I think we have to.
Our quest for the Holy Grail
began at Rosslyn chapel in Scotland,
where I had uncovered a carving
which I believe could be a map to the whereabouts
of the Holy Grail.
Combining the map with some ancient knowledge
shared by a grand prior,
we're following in the footsteps
of pilgrim elder William Brewster
on our way to the New World-- The United States of America--
To the place where the pilgrims first landed--
Provincetown, Massachusetts--
Hoping to find evidence that the grail came here
with America's first settlers.
We're on our way to investigate the pilgrim monument--
The tallest granite structure in the United States.
Look, that's it right there. That's the Pilgrim's Monument.
Built to commemorate the landing of the pilgrims,
it's hard to ignore
its resemblance to the Rosslyn crypt carving.
Anything could have been chosen to mark this site--
A ship, a statue.
Why a tower?
Could be a coincidence, but it's worth investigating.
We have to consider the possibility
that the carving is not only a map
but also a representation
of how the grail may have been enshrined.
Could the grail be hidden at the top of this tower?
We have to get up there.
On our way up the monument,
built into the walls of the tower,
one name keeps reappearing.
That is kind of relevant, isn't it?
Yeah.
Brewster--
The pilgrim elder who visited Rosslyn before coming here--
The man who may have secreted the grail here
to the New World.
It could be the confirmation we're looking for.
We have to get up to the top.
It gets colder as you go higher.
There's nothing up here that would indicate
the grail was here.
You know what, Kinga? It's not here.
I don't find any signs or symbols or clues.
But looking out at this view,
one can appreciate the monumental nature
of what this structure represents...
The beginnings of the United States of America.
Think of the significance of this place.
The mayflower landed right there.
There's a certain distinct path of logic developing here,
but we're missing something.
We head back down to the base of the monument,
where Jim Bakker, the director of the site,
is there to meet with us.
Hopefully, he can shed some light
on the origins of this structure.
Bakker: In 1906,
president Theodore Roosevelt signed a bill through the senate
which created this incredible tower.
Jim told us that this monument was built
in the early 20th century.
It seems unlikely that the keepers of the grail
would have come back here so long after the pilgrims landed
to enshrine the grail.
Theodore Roosevelt.
So, he was involved
with establishing this building right here?
He was.
And he actually was very involved
in the laying of the cornerstone in 1907.
A wonderful freemason ceremony here.
Cowie: So, the freemasons,
under the direction of Theodore Roosevelt,
laid the cornerstone here and had a ceremony.
They were very involved in that ceremony.
The freemasons.
This ties us back to the sinclair family
in Rosslyn.
The freemasons, a secret order of builders,
leaders, and intellectuals,
were originally founded by the Sinclairs of Rosslyn.
The freemasons' symbol of the compass and the square
illustrates not only
their dedication to science and architecture
but also their fundamental pursuit of balance.
Did the freemasons establish the cornerstone here
and was their seal stamped on top?
The seal was stamped on top.
President Roosevelt took the trowel and applied cement.
The fact that this monument was built by the freemasons,
an order founded by the Sinclairs of Roslin,
who may have passed the grail to the pilgrims,
seems an unlikely coincidence.
I believe the monument that has ties to the Sinclairs,
the original keepers of the grail,
is telling me that we need to focus our attention
on the freemasons, especially towers they built,
like this, with its close resemblance
to the grail map.
To keep it safe,
they would have had to install it somewhere
long before this monument was built.
And the first freemason structure in the U.S.
Lies at bunker hill.
So I think we're going to Boston.
Yeah, we're going to Boston.
Leaving behind the site
of the pilgrim landing in America,
we're on our way into Boston,
following a trail of early freemasons
and structures they built.
Cowie: We're on our way to bunker hill,
to an obelisk built by the early freemasons,
which marks one of the most important turning points
in the American revolution.
The bunker hill monument is closed to the public,
but I was able to get us access so you can take a look around.
We can even film there.
Thanks, Kinga. That's great.
The battle of bunker hill
marked the beginnings of America's war of independence.
There seems to be a pattern establishing itself.
The pilgrim monument marked the beginnings of America,
the bunker hill monument,
the beginnings of America's independence--
Both significant events
in the growth of the new country.
And just like in Provincetown,
this structure has undeniable similarities
to the grail carving in Rosslyn.
Before heading up,
the ranger there offers his knowledge of the site.
Hall: The original monument was built in 1794
on the spot where they believed Dr. Joseph Warren fell
during the battle of bunker hill.
Dr. Warren, at the time, was the grand master
of all the masonic lodges in Massachusetts.
A grand master mason--
More direct ties to the freemasons.
This monument is the second monument.
The original monument
was an 18-foot tuscan pillar with an urn on top.
Tell me, how big is that urn?
Well... [ Sighs ]
What, just like a cup? Yeah.
I really want to see that.
It's in the base of this monument.
Cowie: Look what's there, Kinga.
Our quest for the Holy Grail has led us to Boston,
on the trail of early American freemasons...
Who may have possessed the grail...
And built monuments to mark its historical path...
From its arrival near the pilgrim monument...
To the revolutionary war monument at bunker hill
that we've just entered.
And what we found inside... Is astonishing.
That's a cup. It's a chalice cup.
That's not an urn.
Phillips: That is distinctly a chalice.
That's precisely what we've been tracking down,
it's the grail itself.
And we come in here, to this building,
and that's the first thing we're presented with.
Another freemason structure
bearing a remarkable likeness to the Rosslyn carving.
This one even has a flame on top of it.
Can you see it with the flame on top...
Wow.
Representing enlightenment, the passing of knowledge?
But this whole structure expels so much to me.
Freemasons' architectural designs are all based
on the principles that protected Solomon's temple.
You have two pillars here...
Which were at the face of the temple...
Just as you're entering Solomon's temple.
It comes all the way up,
and you can see the compass and the square,
which is the prime symbol of the grand lodge.
And of course, at the top, the flame of enlightenment,
right there on top of the chalice.
But the rebuilt monument we're standing in
is completely different
than the original that we see here in this replica.
I need to know more about the original monument--
The 18-foot-tall pillar that held the chalice.
I see so many masonic symbols on this,
one prime one at the top,
but what date did you say it was installed?
1794 is when the first one was built,
and it was an 18-foot pillar on an 8-foot base,
and then the urn atop it.
So, where is the original pillar now?
I do not know where it would be.
I do know that it wasn't in very good shape
by the time this monument was built.
After all, it was made out of wood
and it was out in the weather for a long time.
With the original monument no longer existing,
we need to find another clue
to stay on the trail of the freemasons.
I believe the original monument,
with its grail-shaped urn,
may have housed the holy chalice...
And that the second monument,
the 221-foot granite obelisk, erected between 1827 and 1843,
that we're currently standing in,
is some kind of marker or clue
as to where the grail may have been taken next.
I've contacted my colleague Elizabeth Lane,
with close ties to the Sinclairs of Rosslyn chapel
and an expert on American freemasonry,
to help narrow down my search.
So, we've got new information that William Brewster,
one of the founding fathers of America,
one of the pilgrims, actually visited Rosslyn
a month before he set sail to America.
So my theory is that he's traveled from Rosslyn,
on the mayflower to Plymouth, Massachusetts,
and there we found clues that pointed us to here,
to bunker hill.
So it seems that the destiny of the grail and freemasons
are intricately entwined.
Can you tell me anything about the freemasons in the U.S.
That might help me?
Well, the freemasons are at the heart
of the founding of this country.
Of the founding fathers,
the majority of them were freemasons,
and the signers of the declaration, also.
Many, many of them-- Many very important people--
Like George Washington,
Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin--
They were all freemasons.
And Washington, of course,
incorporated many symbols of freemasonry.
So, the pilgrims landed,
and a freemasonic monument was erected later
to mark the original site of the grail arrival.
As history evolved, the power base moved over here,
to one of the most important and significant points
in the wars of independence. Mm-hmm, yes.
The grail may have naturally been taken here,
to mark that change in history,
and then to Washington, to the modern-day power base.
The clues are now coming together.
The masons were inspired by Solomon's temple
and the spiritual power of the two pillars
that marked its entrance.
After the bunker hill granite obelisk was built
to replace the original wooden monument,
the masons began work
on a second obelisk in Washington,
possibly to represent
e second giant pillar from Solomon's temple.
But this second obelisk
was more than just a giant pillar
representing one part of a doorway.
In fact,
it's the tallest stone structure in the world.
Of course, the Washington Monument.
Yeah. Of course.
The largest obelisk in the world?
Yes.
The Washington Monument. It makes absolute sense.
Thank you for your time.
We're gonna go to Washington, D.C.,
to explore the Washington Monument
in search of the Holy Grail.
On our way to the monument,
there's no denying the freemasonic presence
in the capital.
It's written all over the architecture,
including the heart
of America's political power structure...
Cowie: The white house.
This is it.
Forget what it represents, but look at what it is.
Look at the windows. They have arches, triangles.
These are masonic architectural styles.
And to the layman walking by,
he just sees the white house
and thinks about the presidency.
He sees it as a seat of power.
But to a freemason, he sees symbols...
Knowledge... He sees ancient wisdom.
And it's everywhere we look-- In the ground plans
and in the architecture of every building we see.
Let's move on.
The Washington Monument-- The tallest building, by law--
Possibly the tallest masonic structure in the world.
It's impressive. What do you think?
It does to me what it's meant to do.
It takes me to a place of silence, contemplation.
It's just so perfectly simple.
And look, it's exactly what we saw in Boston.
It's a classic masonic structure.
And look around.
It's the highest point in Washington.
It casts its shadow over most of the city
throughout different times of the day.
I need to get inside there
and see if I can get up and have a look.
I'll be back shortly.
We were refused a permit
to film our search inside the monument,
but that's not gonna stop me from searching by myself.
I head alone into the tallest stone structure
in the world...
Hoping to uncover any signs of the Grail's presence.
Our quest for the Holy Grail
has brought us from Rosslyn chapel in Scotland
all the way to the capital of the United States
on a path laid out by the freemason founders
of the New World.
We're at the Washington Monument,
where we were denied a permit to film our search
inside the tallest stone building in the world.
But I went up without the crew and conducted my own research,
hoping to find signs of the Grail's presence
inside this masonic structure.
Well?
Cowie: I scoured 'round on the inside, worked my whole way to the top,
inspected every stone, got to the top there,
and found nothing.
Came back down.
We've had a dead end here.
Well, do the grail could have ever been here?
It could have been built to receive the grail.
The location, the symbol,
it being a freemasonic structure just like the others
that we found along the way,
suggests the grail could have been here.
Or the freemasons may have intended to take it here,
but it isn't here.
Yeah, but there is something curious.
Look at the color change from the top part to there.
About a third of the way up. Can you see it?
The white stones stop, and then a blonder sandstone starts.
Kinga: That's two totally different colors.
There's a reason for that.
You know what? It says here that they stopped construction
because of the civil war,
and it wasn't resumed until sometime later.
Kind of left it half completed.
So, they built it up to about a third height
and stopped for some time and then rebuilt it at a later date.
I could understand if they stopped construction
for the civil war,
but it may have been stopped for another reason.
I believe that the grail may have been here at one time
but that the interruption of the construction
led it to being taken elsewhere.
But I need confirmation of my theory,
so I've arranged to meet a freemason contact
here in Washington.
We've agreed to meet in front of the Scottish rite's temple,
the most important masonic building in the U.S.,
the hub of freemason activity in the country.
Dr. Hieronimus is a freemason and author
with extensive knowledge about American history and symbology.
I'm hoping he can give us some insight
into the minds of the freemasons,
which, with any luck,
could put us back on the path of the grail.
I'll cut to the chase.
I started a quest in Scotland for the Holy Grail,
but not the conceptual Holy Grail,
but the actual physical artifact itself,
which I believe might be out there.
Can you tell me about the freemasons in Washington, D.C.,
and tell me what you think about the idea
that they may have taken the grail here and kept it here?
Well, if they kept it here,
it would only have been temporarily, in my opinion.
I'll tell you the reason why.
One of the safest places, if they brought it here,
would have been where they were building,
and that would have perhaps been the Washington Monument.
Hey, did you notice the change of colors
in the stones of the Washington Monument?
Yeah, about a third of the way up.
And that's because it took 101 years to build this monument.
But, as of 1851, when all the money ran out
and they couldn't continue building it,
they would have realized at that time,
"this ain't a safe place to be."
The real problem is, during the civil war,
it would have been totally unsafe.
They would have had to have gotten it out of here.
What I need to do is think more like a freemason,
to try and get closer to the whereabouts of the grail.
I need to just go and have a look at this whole problem
from a different angle.
Well, if you're thinking like a freemason,
that's what you would do.
Dr. Hieronimus has just given us a key insight
that may help our quest-- "As above, so below."
That's an ancient saying that means "balance."
Like a reflection in a mirror,
everything has an opposite aspect that balances it out.
We need to find the opposite meaning
of the obelisks we found--
Something that would balance them out.
We've been on the track of the freemasons,
looking for the grail,
and everything found along the way relates to the male aspect.
We haven't had balance in there,
and that's what masonry is all about.
Now it's time for us to move away from the male
and consider the feminine.
We have to consider this from a different angle.
Everything they did was symbolic.
They laid out Washington, D.C.
They built and designed the architecture here.
Everything we see relates to their prime symbols.
So let's just have a look at Washington, D.C.,
with fresh eyes.
Okay, so, this is where we were--
The Washington Monument.
And let's plot in the Scottish rite freemasons' lodge,
right here.
Now, look at that. A straight line.
Straight, vertical line.
Now let's look at this symbol of the freemasons,
which has reoccurred the whole way through our quest--
The compass and the square.
Let's use our north and South meridian
that we've just established as one leg of the set square.
Okay.
If we lay the other one along the horizontal
from east to west,
the same distance as it is from Washington, D.C., monument
to the supreme council of freemasons,
let's see what happens.
Look at this.
This way, it hits water.
But looking this way, it hits the Capitol building--
The center of political power of Washington and America.
You know, we plotted that alignment
from the Washington Monument to the Capitol building,
right here.
Looking for a clue.
So, you think there's something there-- The Capitol building.
There's something simple here at the end of this alignment--
Something on this building.
Everything here has masonic relevance.
There's gonna be something obvious.
We're looking for the sacred feminine.
Look at the top, Kinga. What on earth is that?
Our grail quest has us following the freemasons,
from the establishment of the New World
to the nation's capital, Washington, D.C.
There, we were reminded of the importance
of the freemason beliefs of balance
between the male and female aspects.
Using the freemasons' own symbol to guide us,
we've arrived at the Capitol building.
And looking at what's on top,
we've discovered something amazing.
Look at the top, Kinga. What on earth is that?
I'm gonna try and figure out what that is.
That building's literally a temple in stone.
It can be read like a book about freemasons.
But what is that at the closest point to heaven,
overlooking the capital city?
It's a statue of a female, Ashley.
A female?
We've been looking for masonic balance.
We've followed a series of male structures.
We've taken a sacred alignment here
and found the sacred feminine.
She might tell us where the grail is.
It's a statue of a female that represents freedom,
which is appropriate on the U.S. Capitol building.
She was built by Thomas Crawford.
Tell me about Thomas Crawford.
Thomas Crawford was a freemason.
What if the female is actually a clue
to the whereabouts of the actual Holy Grail.
And there it is, at the highest point
of the center of the political power of the United States?
She might be pointing us towards the Holy Grail.
Open the map of America.
Now, to find where they took the grail,
let's consider what brought us here-- The monuments.
Assuming my theory is correct,
that the freemasons built these monuments
to replicate the two pillars
at the doorway of Solomon's temple,
then it's possible
that on a massive scale only freemasons could imagine,
the monuments also represent a doorway into the New World.
Let's draw a small line between the structures we've visited,
right there.
Boston, Washington, D.C.
There's our alignment.
If this is the doorway into the New World,
what's in the center?
Right there, the halfway mark.
See it?
New York. Of course.
Now, you told me right there,
she's called the statue of freedom?
Yes.
Look at freedom from another angle.
"Freedom" means "liberty."
"Liberty."
Think about the largest female statue in New York,
possibly in America-- The Statue of Liberty.
"Liberty" means "freedom."
That statue at the top of the Capitol building
is telling us to follow the female to New York,
to the Statue of Liberty.
We need to go to New York to find the grail.
Following my theory that the Holy Grail was brought
to the United States by the pilgrims,
we've been on the path laid out by the freemasons,
a secretive society with deep roots
in the founding of the country and all it stands for.
It's possible the grail has been moved
through impressive freemason structures,
all built in historical places
crucial to the development of the New World--
The pilgrim landing,
the beginnings of America's independence,
the establishment of the Capitol.
Now we're on our way to liberty island
to investigate, arguably,
the most iconic symbol of the United States.
Kinga: Can you imagine what it must have been like
to cross an entire ocean
and then see this symbol of a new life?
Cowie: Over in Scotland and the u.K.,
we hear about the people who left the u.K.,
but we don't often get told what they came to.
This is what welcomed them into the new land--
The Statue of Liberty,
promising freedom and enlightenment and a new life.
Can you imagine months at sea, surviving disease,
waves, and weather like you've never imagined,
then coming in to this symbol of pure hope?
This is just another version of the symbol
that we saw in Washington.
We saw the statue of freedom.
This is exactly the same thing
embodied in a different symbol.
This is the statue of liberty.
And look there, right at the top, that golden flame,
promise of hope, promise of enlightenment, and a new start.
Do you remember seeing that?
Absolutely, bunker hill.
Right there on top, a flame of enlightenment.
The flame is a prime freemason symbol representing hope,
representing faith, representing light
and the spread of enlightenment and knowledge.
And there it is,
welcoming everybody into the United States.
Arriving on liberty island,
we've arranged a meeting with historian
and lady liberty authority, Barry moreno.
I hope he'll have some information about the statue
that can help me confirm my theory
that the grail may have come here and where it may be.
The Statue of Liberty is the world's tallest metal statue.
It was a gift from France to America,
and she was brought here in 1885.
I saw this symbol in Washington,
right there in the Capitol building,
which is the statue of freedom.
Does that have any correlation or link to this image here?
Well, Thomas Crawford's statue of freedom is, of course,
very similar because the concept is still freedom.
"Liberty" means "freedom" in French-- Liberté.
So, yes, in that respect, they are close.
Is there any connection between this icon here
and the freemasons?
Well, yes.
For one, many of the men involved in its creation--
The creation of this monument-- Were freemasons,
and prominent ones, at that.
Bartholdi himself--
The sculptor of the statue of liberty-- Was a freemason.
Also, on this-- On the American shore,
the American side-- Richard Morris hunt,
the famous architect that designed
the statue of liberty's pedestal,
was a freemason.
So, from the base of this statue,
the whole way through, there's masonic symbolism?
Please tell me a little bit about the top-- The torch.
Yes, well, certainly that, most undoubtedly,
is that the torch-and-flame symbol
of enlightenment and illumination,
illuminating freedom throughout the world,
is a key symbol of the Statue of Liberty.
But she's not just a symbol only for the United States.
This shows that they were thinking universally that, yes,
she's a symbol of freedom here,
but she's also enlightening the whole world.
So the flame and the torch represent some form
of divine spreading of light throughout the New World?
Yes.
The torch is symbolic
of spreading the light of enlightenment.
That's the destiny of the grail--
To light a way to the New World.
The torch would have been the perfect place
to install the grail,
but the statue came here from France.
When would the freemasons here in the U.S.
Have been able to install the grail in the torch?
I asked Barry about the specific history
of the torch itself.
The torch is the oldest part of the statue--
At least, the original torch was.
Today we have a replacement.
Now, the original torch came here first
and is the oldest part of the Statue of Liberty.
So, you're telling me the torch was taken here
before the rest of the statue?
Yes, long before.
It came here in 1876,
and it was displayed at the world's fair in Philadelphia.
The torch came here years before the rest of the statue.
That's plenty of time for the grail keepers
to install it somewhere in the torch,
before the statue was assembled.
So, where is the original torch?
The original torch today is right now in the lobby,
so it's inside the statue, on a base.
I really need to get closer to the original torch.
The Holy Grail, one of the most significant artifacts in all of history,
may be in the United States.
The map I uncovered in Rosslyn chapel
has led us on a journey through the founding of the New World,
through its independence,
and the establishment of the center of its power.
From there, we followed the freemason principle of balance,
pursuing the female aspects of their beliefs,
to one of the most iconic freemason statues
in the world-- The Statue of Liberty--
Where we learned that the torch represents light
and enlightenment, just like the grail.
All the clues have led us right here.
Look at this, Kinga. Look at what's in front of us.
This was the highest point of the Statue of Liberty.
It was the most important part
to the masons who designed it in France
and the masons who received it in America.
This here arrived years before the rest of the statue
and would have given the keepers of the grail
time required to install it within this structure somewhere,
melted down into the actual metal we see here,
possibly even in the tip of the flame there.
It's the culmination of the grail trail.
Everything we've followed, it leads us to here.
It's the perfect physical home for the Holy Grail.
It's fulfilled its final destiny in a new land, in the west.
And, indeed, that cup has been carted across America,
used to stamp the most important moments of American history,
possibly came from the knights templar,
enshrined in Rosslyn chapel,
and passed to William Brewster,
taken by the pilgrims to Provincetown,
onwards to bunker hill to mark the beginnings
of American independence,
taken onwards to Washington to the obelisk there,
following the path of the freemasons
right here to the Statue of Liberty,
where today it still burns
and spreads its light across the nation of America
and welcoming in everybody to the newfound land.
The spreading of light of ancient wisdom of knowledge
and essentially everything freemasonry
and America stands for-- Freedom.
The grail could remain today right there
at the tip of one of the world's most symbolic statues
representing everything that the Holy Grail is about.
For me, it was as if 15 years of study had come full circle.
Could the Holy Grail have been melted down
for lady liberty's torch?
The very concept of the knights templar
and freemasons' quest for the grail
is as much allegorical as it is physical.
It's all about striving to come out of the shadows,
to become wise, and step into the light.
If the grail was hidden at Rosslyn chapel,
if the founders of freemasonry fulfilled its destiny
by taking the grail to the New World,
that torch, that light,
would be the perfect destination.
Sync and corrections by n17t01 www.addic7ed.com