See the secret underground cave where the Knights Templar met and prayed - PHOTOS

Photographs have emerged of a secret cavern used by the followers of the Knights Templar seven centuries ago. The caves were used as a secret gathering place before the group was outlawed.

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) -- The Knights Templar was a Catholic military order of fighting religious who built and maintained fortresses and pioneered banking across the Holy Land during the High Middle Ages. 

The order was loyal to the pope and formed one of the most feared, combat effective units in the crusades. They maintained hundreds, possibly thousands of houses for gathering and businesses across Europe and had their own structure for governing themselves.

The order became both powerful and wealthy, although less necessary by the 14th century when the threat of Islamic expansion diminished. Political intrigue doomed the organization when King Philip IV of France decided to scapegoat the organization, accusing them of idolatry and as enemies of the faith. The condemnation and dissolution of the order was purely political and based on trumped-up charges, but it was successful and the Templars disappeared leaving behind many secret meeting places.

One such place is in Shropshire, England where Templars met in a cave. Today, the cave is concealed by nature, and accessible only through a veritable rabbit-hole. The spot is known s the Caynton Caves, and it has remained largely untouched. However, visitors through the centuries have damaged the caves with graffiti. Incidentally, the Templars also etched carvings into the walls, usually of crosses.

The caves are on private property today, which allows the owners to protect them by restricting access. A photographer, Michael Scott was allowed in to photograph them recently. He described the site as easy to miss, and less than a meter underground. "It's like an underground temple," he remarked of its preservation.

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