Nestled in a hidden courtyard in the heart of London, Temple Church is a medieval treasure trove steeped in the shadowy history of the legendary Knights Templar. This ancient religious order of warrior monks, formed in 1119 to protect Holy Land pilgrims, rose to immense power before vanishing in a cloud of heresy, scandal, and suppression (Barber, 1993). Their London headquarters, with its mysterious round design and stone effigies of armored knights, offers a tantalizing glimpse into this secretive brotherhood that has long captured the popular imagination.
The Templars‘ Rise and Fall
At their height, the Knights Templar counted 15,000-20,000 members and established a network of nearly 900 castles, preceptories, and other properties across Europe and the Holy Land (Barber, 1993). As skilled fighters and savvy bankers, the Templars ingratiated themselves with Europe‘s nobility. Exempt from taxes and granted sweeping papal privileges, they grew immensely wealthy, with their fortune estimated at 6 million pounds of silver in 1307 – equivalent to about £11.5 billion today (Hamilton, 2013).
Swirling rumors of heretical practices like worshipping false idols and illicit initiation rites soon tarnished the order‘s reputation (Nicholson, 2001). Under mounting pressure from indebted rulers like Philip IV of France, Pope Clement V disbanded the Knights Templar in 1312. Many members faced brutal imprisonment, torture, and execution (Barber, 1993).
Secrets in Stone
The order‘s English headquarters, Temple Church, was constructed in 1185 on the north bank of the River Thames (Park, 2010). Its design paid homage to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem with a 55-foot round nave ringed by massive stone columns. This circular shape carried rich theological symbolism, evoking resurrection and eternity (Addison, 1842).
Ten life-size marble effigies of knights, reposed with hands clasped in prayer, are the church‘s most striking feature. The most famous depicts William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, a legendary knight and statesman instrumental in negotiating the Magna Carta in 1215 (Park, 2010). Traces of paint hint at the effigies‘ original vibrant hues, with crimson surcoats and gilded accents (Burge, 2016).
A simple wooden door near the altar conceals one of Temple Church‘s most intriguing secrets: a stone penitentiary cell measuring just 4.5 feet by 2.75 feet where disobedient knights were imprisoned, starved, and left to perish (Addison, 1842). One victim was Walter le Bachelor, Grand Preceptor of Ireland, who was locked in the cell for 8 weeks until death for rebelling against the order‘s Rule (Nicholson, 2001).
Hall of Power
Temple Church played a pivotal role in medieval England‘s power struggles. As a royal peculiar directly under the monarch‘s jurisdiction, it hosted pivotal meetings in the tense negotiations leading up to King John‘s sealing of the Magna Carta nearby in 1215 (Griffith-Jones, 2010).
During the 16th-century English Reformation, Temple Church became a battleground in the war between Protestantism and Catholicism. In the 1580s, rival factions held a theological showdown in the pulpit that became known as the Battle of the Pulpits (Pearce, 1928).
Two of England‘s four Inns of Court – the Middle and Inner Temples – used the church for centuries and added crucial renovations like the Christopher Wren-designed altar (Park, 2010). One colorful barrister buried here is Richard Martin (d. 1618), notorious for raucous parties and taking a pet fox to church (Prest, 1972).
Trial by Fire
Temple Church barely survived the ravages of time and conflict. The flames of the Great Fire of 1666 claimed much of the surrounding complex, destroying priceless Templar artifacts and records (Park, 2010).
On the night of 10 May 1941, over 700 tons of bombs fell from the skies during the Luftwaffe‘s deadliest raid of the Blitz. Flames engulfed the Temple and split the church‘s stone columns, with the wooden roof collapsing onto the knight effigies (Burge, 2016). Miraculously, the figures survived with only minor chipping and singeing.
A painstaking 17-year restoration resurrected Temple Church to its former glory. Its sloped foundations were excavated and rebuilt, vaulted ceilings reconstructed, and interior lime-washed to evoke the medieval style (Park, 2010).
Da Vinci‘s Code
Temple Church shot to international fame with its prominent role in Dan Brown‘s 2003 bestselling novel The Da Vinci Code and subsequent film adaptation. Although the book took creative liberties with Temple Church‘s architecture and Templar lore, Brown‘s fascination was understandable. Between the mysterious stone effigies, ancient Templar legends, and aura of secrets and scandal, Temple Church has captured the imagination of everyone from William Shakespeare to John Ruskin (Griffith-Jones, 2010).
Enduring Legacy
For over 800 years, Temple Church has guarded the secrets and treasures of the Knights Templar in the heart of London. With a history touched by crusading knights, medieval power struggles, the Blitz, and even Hollywood blockbusters, it endures as a captivating symbol of London‘s rich past.
Weekly organ recitals fill the ancient Round with glorious music, while regular services and events draw locals and visitors alike. Most recently, Temple Church was the recording site for the soundtrack of Christopher Nolan‘s sci-fi epic Interstellar, with composer Hans Zimmer calling the church‘s organ "one of the most magnificent in the world" (Burge, 2016).
To uncover the secrets of London‘s Temple Church is to step into a world of crusaders, conspiracies, and a knight order shrouded in mystery and lost to history. But within these ancient stone walls, the Templars‘ legacy lives on. As journalist Simon Jenkins muses, "Temple Church offers a window into the medieval soul" (2009).
References
Addison, C.G. (1842). The Temple Church. Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans.
Barber, M. (1993). The New Knighthood: A History of the Order of the Temple. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-42041-5.
Burge, E. (2016). Temple Church: History, Architecture, Art. Scala Arts & Heritage Publishers. ISBN 978-1785510854.
Griffith-Jones, R. (2010). The Temple Church in London: History, Architecture, Art. Boydell Press. ISBN 978-1843835325.
Hamilton, B. (2013). The Christian World of the Middle Ages. The History Press. ISBN 978-0752477404.
Jenkins, S. (2009). England‘s Thousand Best Churches. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-0141039299.
Nicholson, H. (2001). The Knights Templar: A New History. Sutton. ISBN 0-7509-2517-5.
Park, D. (2010). The Temple Church in London. Daventh Press. ISBN 978-0956778109.
Pearce, E. (1928). The monks of Westminster: Being a register of the brethren of the convent from the time of the Confessor to the dissolution. Cambridge University Press.
Prest, W.R. (1972). The Inns of Court under Elizabeth I and the Early Stuarts, 1590–1640. Rowman and Littlefield. ISBN 978-0874719048.
