50th Grand Master

Count Antonio Campello Pinto Pereira de Sousa Fontes

Count António Campello Pinto Pereira de Sousa Fontes

50th Grand Master and Regent of the Order

Reign: December 23, 1942 – February 15, 1960

Count Antonio de Sousa Fontes is the savior of the Order of the Temple in the 20th century, laying the foundations for its modern international structure. His reign occurred during one of the most tragic periods of European history - the Second World War, when the very existence of traditional knightly institutions was threatened with destruction. 50th Worldwide Grand Master and Regent of OSMTH - Magnum Magisterium.

Salvation of the Order during the Second World War

Until 1942, the central leadership of the Order (Prince Regent Émile-Clément-Joseph Isaac Vandenberg) was located in Brussels. After the occupation of Belgium and France by the troops of Nazi Germany, mortal danger loomed over the Order. The Nazi regime harshly persecuted and liquidated any independent Christian and knightly unions, confiscating their archives.

In these critical conditions, in an effort to save the Order, Regent Vandenberg made the strategic decision to transfer supreme powers to neutral Portugal. On December 23, 1942, the distinguished Portuguese aristocrat, Grand Prior of Portugal, Count Antonio de Sousa Fontes, was officially elected and proclaimed Regent of the Order.

Count Antonio accomplished an unprecedented feat: he took into custody the sacred regalia of the Temple, the original centuries-old archives and the Larmenius Charter. The international headquarters of the Supreme Magistrate (Magnum Magisterium) was officially and permanently moved to the Portuguese city of Porto. Thanks to the diplomatic talent and authority of Count Antonio, the surviving European knights recognized Portugal as the new legitimate center of the Temple.

The Great Reform: The General Statutes of 1947

After the end of World War II, the 50th Grand Master was faced with the task of reviving the Order and adapting it to the realities of modern times. The entire pre-war administrative system, based on the purely French Statutes of the Napoleonic era (1804), required a radical overhaul.

On December 27, 1946, Count Antonio de Sousa Fontes convened the Supreme Magistral Council. As a result of this historic Protocol, the new General Statutes of the International Magistrate (Statuts de 1947) were officially decreed and issued at the beginning of 1947.

This document became the real “Constitution of the New Age” for the Temple. It was Count Antonio de Sousa Fontes in the 1947 Charter:

• legally assigned Portugal the status of the World Headquarters of the Supreme Magistrate (Magnum Magisterium Porto);
• developed strict international rules on the basis of which the Supreme Master vests powers in national Priories;
• finally approved the classic five-tier system of knightly ranks (from Knight Templar to Knight Grand Cross), which is used in the Order to this day.

Continuity and memory

Thanks to the strong leadership of Count Antonio, the Order entered an era of stability and began active international expansion, opening new Priories in Europe, as well as in North and South America.

Count Antonio Campello de Sousa Fontes remained at the helm of the Order until his departure to the Heavenly Host on February 15, 1960. Before his earthly death, acting in accordance with the General Rule and the will of the loyal Chapter, he formally transferred the supreme succession of power, the title of Grand Master and the sacred archives to his son - Don Fernando de Souza Fontes.

In the historical memory of the brothers and ladies of the entire worldwide branch of the Magnum Magisterium, Count Antonio is venerated as the great guardian who saved the Templar heritage from the fire of the World War and gave the Order its modern legal and administrative life.

Original biographical material (PDF): Biography of the 50th Grand Master of OSMTH - Dom Antonio Campello Pinto de Sousa Fontes.

See also: 51st Grand Master, 52nd Grand Master, Grand Masters.