“The Curse of Oak Island” is a popular television series that highlights the exploits of treasure hunters on the mysterious Oak Island. Oak Island is located close to Nova Scotia in Canada, and the theory of the show is that the remote location is host to several artifacts from before Christopher Columbus and other Europeans’ arrival to the Americas, as well as a collection of items that could change history as we know it. The show started airing in 2014, and it is currently in Season 9. The show maintains a 78% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and dedicated fans follow the pursuit of treasure almost as much as the cast.
Blending actual history and speculative conjecture, “The Curse of Oak Island” has brothers Rick and Marty Lagina searching several sites across Oak Island. These sites are often determined by previous finds, or theories involving Western civilizations reaching the “New World” long before Columbus. While the crew of “The Curse of Oak Island” has already found a couple of long-lost relics, what could be considered their biggest find?
A medieval-style cross was found on The Curse of Oak Island
Thanks to the efforts of the crew at the center of “The Curse of Oak Island,” they manage to find a rhodolite garnet brooch in Season 5, which they speculate is connected to Marie Antionette’s collection. They also find another gold brooch, iron spikes, and other various items like pottery, book bindings, and human bones (via History). Their biggest find, however, supposedly reinforces the Oak Island theory that the vaunted Knights Templar survived being expunged from Europe and fled to America.
Found in a location referred to as “Smith’s Cove,” a medieval-style cross is excavated by the Langinas and the team’s metal detector expert, Gary Drayton, in Season 5. Drayton believes that the cross is of Knights Templar origin and states on the show, “That’s really old. This is the type of thing I’d expect to find in Europe. When I first saw it I thought, that looks Medieval — a Medieval cross. I mean, this is old. I would say it is somewhere between 1200 and 1600.”
As stated on “The Curse of Oak Island,” the cross is reportedly tested soon after its discovery, and it’s established that the cross was not created in America, leading many to think that it supports the theory of the historical Knights Templar traveling to Nova Scotia centuries ago. The cross is considered one of the biggest finds on “The Curse of Oak Island,” but by no means is the cast finished searching for long-lost treasure.