The exact date of the Templars' arrival in the town of Alba is unknown. The first mention of the existence of a Templar house in Alba dates back to 1200 and can be found in a text that mentions, among other things, a road leading to the Templar house.

We also know the name of this Templar house, Santa Maria del Tempio, thanks to a letter dated 1217 addressed to Pope Honorius III by the cathedral chapter of Alba, in which the chapter accuses several priests and chaplains, including Brother Viviano of Santa Maria del Tempio, of illegally performing certain rites, such as the blessing of pilgrims' purses and Masses for Churching of women⁽¹⁾.

In 1254, further evidence of the existence of a house in Alba is found, this time in a will that mentions the sale of a dwelling located near the House of the Temple in Alba.

In the documents relating to the interrogations linked to the "Trial of the Knights Templar", there is mention of Brother Riccardo de Albaruxia, who was preceptor of the houses of Murello, Vercelli and Casale Monferrato in 1286. This mention of Albaruxia could mean that Brother Ricardo came from the Templar house of Alba.

The exact location of this house of Santa Maria del Tempio is unknown. Numerous hypotheses have been put forward, but none of them are entirely satisfactory to historians. Similarly, no documents have survived concerning the transfer of this Templar house to the Order of the Hospital after 1312.1312.