This is the Temple church in London – which I’ve visited a few times living in this great city. It was at the centre of a large Templar preceptory that was in effect, the Templar HQ in England. And of course – you will have seen it in The Da Vinci Code.
The Temple church is modelled on the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem – like most Templar places of worship. So it has that distinct round shape. And at floor level, there are some tombs of knights, badly damaged when the church was bombed during the Second World War.
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The Templars were not always based in exactly that part of London. They moved closer to the river later in the 12th century – probably to take advantage of the river current to power their water mills. The rest of the Templar buildings disappeared a long time ago. But Temple church is a great survivor!
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