Temple Church, London

Temple Church is a Romanesque church built by the Knights Templar as their English headquarters, and its most striking feature is the circular nave. Its form reflects a design associated with Templar churches, while stone effigies from the medieval period lie within the building. The round section measures 55 feet across and contains a ring of surviving Purbeck Marble columns.

The church was consecrated on 10 February 1185 by Heraclius, Patriarch of Jerusalem. During King John’s reign, this church also operated as the royal treasury, drawing on the Templars’ role as international bankers. Look at the meeting of the circular nave and the rectangular chancel: they reveal that the building was made in separate stages, with the chancel added about half a century later.

The church now belongs jointly to the Inner Temple and Middle Temple, the Inns of Court connected with London’s legal profession. German bombing in World War II caused severe destruction, including the loss of the organ and wooden interior, and the church was subsequently restored and rebuilt. The result is a place where military religion, royal finance, and legal tradition meet in stone.