Temple

In March 1095 Pope Urban II called upon all Christians to join a war against Turkish Muslims attacking the Byzantine Empire. Crusader armies went on to defeat Turkish forces at Dorylaeum and Antioch, before marching on Jerusalem. The Holy city finally falling to Christian forces in 1099.

A wave of pilgrims followed as news of Jerusalem’s conquest spread across Europe. A new military order was established in 1118 to protect the growing number of religious travelers. Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Solomonici was the first of these Christian knighthoods, eventually becoming the most famous. The order, popularly known as the Knights Templar, operated for almost two hundreds before being finally disbanded by Pope Clement in 1312.

The London headquarters of the Knights Templar was based at Temple, a central city location wedged between Fleet Street and the Thames embankment. Its round church nave still stands, more than 800 years after it was built. It recently featured in the Dan Brown movie, The Da Vinci Code.

The nave is noted for nine life-size stone effigies of knights resting in the centre of the floor. Several are heavily worn and barely recognisable, while others remain in remarkably good condition. The nave is stunning, capped by a simple, vaulted wooden roof. The church has undergone extensive restoration after being set alight by German incendiary bombs during the Second World War.

Last year Garry and I tried to visit Temple but arrived after closing time. This month we finally got a chance to see inside. The building itself is rather simple but still commands respect. I still find it hard to fathom that this building has stood since 1185.


Outside the church sits a simple pillar, topped by a knight on horseback. It marks the Western edge of the Great Fire of London in 1666 where the flames were finally extinguished. This simple monument stands in stark contrast to Christopher Wren’s towering column almost 2 kms east. In London, history constantly finds itself colliding wherever you look.