Temple Church

The Temple Church was built by Knights Templar, an order of knights who took monastic vows. The Templars were founded in 1118 to protect pilgrims to the Holy Land; they become one of the most powerful orders in Christendom. In London, Templars had their church, two halls, cloisters and domestic buildings.

Temple Church

In 1185, the Round Church was consecrated; it represents the transition from Norman architecture to Gothic. It was modelled on the circular Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the site of Christ's death, burial and rising. 

Flags used by the Templars in battle

The effigies of the Round include the figure William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1146-1219). He was one of the most famous knights of his time, serving under various English kings, from Henry II to Henry III. He was also a crucial meditator between King John and the barons, and Regent for the child King Henry III. His eldest son William (1190-1231) and his third son Gilbert (1194-1241) were both buried nearby. 

The interior of the Round Church

Back to King John, his reign witnessed a long struggle for power between the Crown and the barons. A deputation from the barons had met the King at the Temple itself, in January 1215, to demand the confirmation of ancient laws and liberties. The King soon reneged on the agreement. He finally put his seal to Magna Carta, the first bill of rights, at Runnymede in June 1215. 

Tomb effigy of William Marshal in Temple Church, London

In the 1230s King Henry III and his Queen bequeathed their bodies to the Temple Church, but they were eventually buried in Westminster Abbey. On Friday 13 October 1307 every Templar in France was arrested on the orders of King Philip the Fair. He accused the order of blasphemy and heresy. It is not clear if these charges were real, but we know for sure that France was debt and the Templar had enough financial resources. 

King Philip the Fair (1285-1314)

In England, King Edward II disbelieved the charges, but he was forced, under Papal pressure, to deprive the Order of all its estates in England, including the Temple Church which was passed to the Knights Hospitaller. In the 16th century, during the Reformation, it reverted to the Crown. In 1608, King James I granted all the Templars' former land between Fleet Street and the river to the societies of Inner and Middle Temple, two of the London's Inns of Court. 

Combined arms of the four Inns of Court. These are the four professional associations for barristers in England and Wales

He also stipulated that the Inns should serve for the accommodation and education of those studying and following the profession of law. The Inns have remained, ever since, central to the legal and ethical formation of the barristers of England and Wales.