Temple Church

This article is about Temple Church in London. For other uses, see Temple Church (disambiguation).

Temple Church
Church of the Temple, London
Temple Church, view from south-west, showing the original Round Church, now forming the narthex
Temple Church Location within City of London Temple Church Location within City of London in 1300
Location	Temple, London, EC4
Country	England
Language	English
Denomination	Church of England
Previous denomination	Roman Catholic (to 1538)
Religious order	Knights Templar (1185–1307) Knights Hospitaller (1307–1540)
Churchmanship	Book of Common Prayer
Website	templechurch.com
History
Dedication	Solomon's Temple
Consecrated	10 February 1185 (10 February 1185)
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect	Sir Christopher Wren
Style	Early English Gothic, English Baroque, Gothic Revival
Administration
Diocese	London
Deanery	City
Clergy
Priest(s)	Robin Griffith-Jones (Master of the Temple) Mark Hatcher (Reader of the Temple)
Temple Church, view from southeast showing the chancel and east end
Listed Building – Grade I
Official name	Temple Church (St Mary's)
Designated	4 January 1950
Reference no.	1064646

The Temple Church, a royal peculiar in the Church of England, is a church in the Inner and Middle Temples located between Fleet Street and the River Thames in London, England. It was built by the Knights Templar for their English headquarters in the Temple precinct and consecrated on 10 February 1185 by Patriarch Heraclius of Jerusalem. During the reign of King John (1199–1216) it served as the royal treasury, supported by the role of the Knights Templar as proto-international bankers. It is now jointly owned by the Inner Temple and Middle Temple Inns of Court, bases of the English legal profession. It is famous for being a round church, a common design feature for Knights Templar churches, and for its 13th- and 14th-century stone effigies. It was heavily damaged by German bombing during World War II and has since been greatly restored and rebuilt.

The area around the Temple Church is still known as the Temple. Temple Bar, a jurisdictional gateway, stood in the middle of Fleet Street in the Temple area. Nearby is Temple Underground station.