The Curse of Oak Island – expedition to Italy (Prometheus/History Canada)

While an incredible new discovery is made in the triangle-shaped swamp, Rick Lagina and members of the team make shocking connections in Italy between the Knights Templar and the Oak Island mystery.

In Season 11 of The Curse of Oak Island (History Channel), Rick Lagina and nephews Alex Lagina and Peter Fornetti, along with Doug Crowell visit Morimondo Abbey to try to unravel the 229-year-old mystery of Oak Island.

Morimondo abbey, built by Cistercian monks in the 12^th century seems to have connections with the Templar Knights according to researcher Emiliano Sacchetti and archeoastronomer Professor Adriano Gaspani. Rick Lagina takes the connection one step further believing that there could be a link with the Abbey and the New World, specifically, Oak Island.

Fabio Di Segni organized access to the Abbey along with filming permits and production services for the television crew. As they filmed in front of the church, Emiliano Saccetti asked Rick and his visitors to look up at the façade. There above them they find several 4-dot crosses like the one found on the H+O stone on Oak Island. Inside the church, they see a templar cross painted on the ceiling. But perhaps the best is to be found in the scriptorium, the room where the Cistercian monks would copy out manuscripts and illustrate them with gorgeous miniature paintings.

Sacchetti points out the paitings on the walls, dating from the 13^th century, and Alex Lagina spots a picture on the wall very much like one he has seen in the 14^th century prison in Domme, France where templar knights had been imprisoned by the King of France in his attempt to take away their wealth. The drawing is of the tree of life. And on another pillar is the four-dot cross of the templars.

Rick notices another four-dot cross, but this one is painted using oak leaves – could this be a connection to oak island?

Fabio Di Segni organized film permits and crew transport for Rick and his team to visit and film in Castello Suardi, built in 1233. A highly fortified castle with two encircling protective walls, it has always been associated with the Templar legend. It’s located on an important route for pilgrims going to Jerusalem and in its architecture, there are slits in the walls in the shape of the Templar cross, along with numbers and symbols associated with the templars.

Keep an eye out on the History channel for this exciting episode of The Curse of Oak Island and find out what secrets were unveiled!