The Shenanigans of Stephen II Henry de Blois, Count of Blois and Chartres

Earlier we touched on the idea that medieval Jewish religious scholars believed the Ark of the Covenant and other religious treasure was buried beneath the Shetiyyah (foundation stone) of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem prior to the Babylonian invasion of 587 BC. In an effort to locate the Ark and treasure these scholars, including Rabbi Rashi, intently studied ancient Hebraic texts with an emphasis on 2 Maccabees. Over the centuries speculation repeatedly crops up regarding the Templars possibly finding the Ark of the Covenant, and if they did, its whereabouts.

Ark of the Covenant

Historical and speculative connections between Stephen II Henry de Blois, Count of Blois and Chartres, and the Ark of the Covenant are examined, leaving us wonder whether Stephen II Henry or the Templars might have acquired it. It highlights biblical discrepancies about the Ark’s description – ornate in Exodus with the Ten Commandments, manna, and Aaron’s rod, versus a simpler Shittim wood version in Deuteronomy with only the tablets – suggesting the possibility of multiple Arks. Stephen II Henry, a key figure in the First Crusade (1096-1102), was tied to influential Templar founders and nobility, including his half-brother Hugh I de Blois and wife Adela of Normandy. During the crusade, he reached Constantinople and Nicaea, writing to Adela of his favor with Emperor Alexios I Komnenos, but fled Antioch in 1098, returning to France with treasures deposited at Chartres. Pressured by Adela, he rejoined the crusade in 1101 and died in 1102 at Ramla, leaving speculation about whether he obtained the Ark or its contents from Alexios and brought it to Chartres.

Crusaders depositing Stephen II Henry de Blois' treasure at Chartres Cathedral

We also explore the Ark’s depiction at Chartres Cathedral on the North Portal, showing it as a wheeled strongbox with its contents, alongside a scene of the Philistines defeating Eli’s sons and the fall of Dagon’s idol – an odd choice compared to typical Ark narratives. This raises questions about its authenticity and provenance, noting inconsistencies like the confusion between Eli and Heli (Jesus’s grandfather), and suggesting the figures might symbolize Benedictine or Templar priests receiving it from Stephen II Henry. The document reviews various theories about the Ark’s fate – hidden by Jeremiah on Mount Nebo, taken by Shishak or Menelik to Ethiopia, or found by Templars and moved through Europe to North America by 1244 – concluding that evidence is lacking, and interpretations depend on belief. We posit that Stephen II Henry’s treasures and the Chartres imagery fuel speculation, but the Ark’s true history remains uncertain.

Ark of the Covenant and its contents depicted at Chartres Cathedral