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47-693: The Temple Church, a royal peculiar in the Church of England , is a church in the City of London located between Fleet Street and the River Thames , built by the Knights Templar for their English headquarters in the Temple precinct. It was 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

94-654: A crusade to the Holy Land, or even against a heresy such as the Cathars . The term legation is applied both to a legate's mandate and to the territory concerned (such as a state, or an ecclesiastical province). The relevant adjective is legatine . In the High Middle Ages , papal legates were often used to strengthen the links between Rome and the many parts of Christendom . More often than not, legates were learned men and skilled diplomats who were not from

141-650: A theological conflict between the Puritans and supporters of the Elizabethan Compromise . Shakespeare was familiar with the site and the church and garden feature in his play Henry VI, part 1 as the setting for the fictional scene of the plucking of two roses of York and Lancaster and the start of the Wars of the Roses . In 2002 this event was commemorated with the planting of new white and red roses in

188-456: A church choir, and it sold strongly throughout the twentieth century, reaching gold disc status (a million copies) in 1962 and achieving an estimated 6 million sales to date. The Temple Church's excellent acoustics have also attracted secular musicians: Sir John Barbirolli recorded a famous performance of the Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis by Ralph Vaughan Williams there in 1962 (at

235-651: A pretext for the order's suppression. Today the Temple Church holds regular church services, including Holy Communion and Mattins on Sunday morning. It also holds weddings, but only for members of the Inner and Middle Temples. The Temple Church serves both the Inner Temple and the Middle Temple as a private chapel. The Temple Church has always been a royal peculiar , due to which the choristers have

282-481: A senior churchman from another district, parish or diocese, and gave livings (salaries or use of property) to those clergy chosen by the donor or donor's heir. They could include the separate or "peculiar" jurisdiction of the monarch, another archbishop or bishop, or the dean and chapter of a cathedral (also, the Knights Templar and the Knights Hospitaller ). An archbishop's peculiar is subject to

329-503: Is a Church of England parish or church exempt from the jurisdiction of the diocese and the province in which it lies, and subject to the direct jurisdiction of the monarch . The church parish system dates from the early Middle Ages, when most early churches were provided by the lord whose estate land coincided with that of the parish. A donative parish (or "peculiar") was one that was exempt from diocesan jurisdiction. There are several reasons for peculiars but usually they were held by

376-473: Is considered by most commentators to have been the primary cause of its eventual downfall. In January 1215 William Marshal served as a negotiator during a meeting in the Temple between King John and the barons , who demanded that the king should uphold the rights enshrined in the Coronation Charter of his predecessor and elder brother King Richard I . Marshal swore on behalf of the king that

423-588: Is outside any episcopal or archiepiscopal jurisdiction. The present Master of the Temple is the Reverend Robin Griffith-Jones , appointed in 1999. The Master gives regular lunchtime talks open to the public. The official title of the Master of the Temple is the "Reverend and Valiant Master of the Temple." His official residence is the Master's House, a Georgian townhouse built next to the church in 1764. (1644 Richard Vines nominated by

470-533: Is probable that the walls and grotesque heads were originally painted in colours. It was consecrated on 10 February 1185 by Heraclius , Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem . It is believed that King Henry II (1154–1189) was present at the consecration. The Knights Templar order was very powerful in England, with the Master of the Temple sitting in parliament as primus baro (the first baron in precedence of

517-711: Is the apostolic nuncio , whose task it is to strengthen relations between the Holy See and the Catholic Church in a particular country and at the same time to act as the diplomatic representative of the Holy See to the government of that country. An apostolic nuncio is generally equivalent in rank to that of ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary , although in Catholic countries the nuncio often ranks above ambassadors in diplomatic protocol. A nuncio performs

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564-530: The Dictatus papae , a papal legate "presides over all bishops in a council, even if he is inferior in rank, and he can pronounce sentence of deposition against them". During the Middle Ages , a legatine council was the usual means that a papal legate imposed his directives. There are several ranks of papal legates in diplomacy, some of which are no longer used. The most common form of papal legate today

611-615: The Diocese of London . The following chapels of the Inns of Court are extra-diocesan, and therefore peculiars, but not royal: Papal legate The legate is appointed directly by the Pope—the Bishop of Rome and head of the Catholic Church. Hence a legate is usually sent to a government, a sovereign or to a large body of believers (such as a national church) or to take charge of a major religious effort, such as an ecumenical council ,

658-759: The Inner Temple and the Middle Temple , two of the four London Inns of Court . In 1540 the church became the property of the Crown once again when King Henry VIII abolished the Knights Hospitaller in England and confiscated their property. Henry provided a priest for the church under the former title "Master of the Temple". In the 1580s the church was the scene of the Battle of the Pulpits ,

705-401: The deanship of that country's diplomatic corps to the nuncio regardless of seniority. Pro-nuncio was a term used from 1965 to 1991 for a papal diplomatic representative of full ambassadorial rank accredited to a country that did not accord him precedence over other ambassadors and ex officio deanship of the diplomatic corps. In those countries, the papal representative's precedence within

752-456: The "Master of the Temple" and the "Reader of the Temple." The title of the Master of the Temple recalls the title of the head of the former order of the Knights Templar . The Master of the Temple is appointed by the Crown; the right of appointment was reserved when the Church was granted to the two Inns by James I in 1608. The church has the status of a peculiar rather than a private chapel and

799-631: The (pope's) side", i.e. "intimately" trusted) is normally awarded to a priest of cardinal rank . It is an exceptional investiture and can either be focused or broad in scope. The legate a latere is the alter ego of the Pope, and as such, possesses full plenipotentiary powers. Literally "born legate", i.e. not nominated individually but ex officio , namely a bishop holding this rank as a privilege of his see, e.g. archbishops of Canterbury (pre- Reformation ), Prague , Esztergom , Udine , Salzburg , Gniezno and Cologne . The legatus natus would act as

846-620: The Dome of the Rock, featured on the official seals of the order's Grand Masters (such as Everard des Barres and Renaud de Vichiers ), and along with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre upon which it was based soon became the architectural model for Round Templar churches across Europe. The round church is 55 feet (17 m) in diameter , and contains within it a circle of the earliest known surviving free-standing Purbeck Marble columns. It

893-590: The English cathedral tradition was established at the Temple Church in 1842 under the direction of Dr E. J. Hopkins, and it soon earned a high reputation. In 1927, the Temple Choir under George Thalben-Ball became world-famous with its recording of Mendelssohn 's Hear My Prayer , including the solo "O for the Wings of a Dove" sung by Ernest Lough . This became one of the most popular recordings of all time by

940-489: The House of Commons but rejected by the House of Lords.) † Master died in post Temple Church plays a significant role in the plot of the mystery novel The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown and its subsequent film adaptation , a key scene of which was filmed inside the church. 51°30′48″N 0°06′37″W  /  51.5132°N 0.1104°W  / 51.5132; -0.1104 Royal peculiar A royal peculiar

987-453: The Pope's representative in his province, with a legatus a latere only being sent in extraordinary circumstances. Although limited in their jurisdiction compared to legati a latere , a legatus natus was not subordinate to them. Literally "sent legate", possessing limited powers for the purpose of completing a specific mission. This commission is normally focused in scope and of short duration. Some administrative (temporal) provinces of

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1034-487: The Purbeck marble columns in the chancel cracked due to the intense heat. Although these columns still provided some support to the vault, they were deemed unsound and were replaced in identical form. The original columns had a slight outward lean, which architectural quirk was followed in the replacement columns. The Master's House was burned down on the same night. During the renovation by the architect Walter Godfrey , it

1081-585: 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 . In the mid-12th century, before the construction of the church, the Knights Templar in London had met at a site in High Holborn in a structure originally established by Hugues de Payens (the site had been historically

1128-458: The Temple via the western door at dawn. The initiates entered the circular nave and then took monastic vows of piety, chastity, poverty and obedience . The details of initiation ceremonies were always a closely guarded secret, which later contributed to the order's downfall as gossip and rumours spread about possible blasphemous usages. These rumours were manipulated and exploited by the order's enemies, such as King Philip IV of France , to fabricate

1175-405: The boys attend the City of London School although the scholarship is portable) and 12 professional men. They perform weekly at Sunday services, 11:15–12:15 pm, during term time. The choir gave the world premiere of Sir John Tavener 's epic The Veil of the Temple , which took place over seven hours during an overnight vigil in the Temple Church in 2003. The following year it was performed by

1222-702: The capture of Jerusalem in 1099 by the Crusaders, the Dome of the Rock was given to the Augustinians, who turned it into a church (while the Jami Al-Aqsa became a royal palace). Because the Dome of the Rock was the site of the Temple of Solomon, the Knights Templar set up their headquarters in the Al-Aqsa Mosque adjacent to the Dome for much of the 12th century. The Templum Domini , as they called

1269-795: The choir at the Lincoln Festival in New York City; a concert version was performed at the BBC Proms the same year. Two new recordings were released in 2010 on the Signum Classics label: one of the Temple Church Choir, and a recording of English organ music played by James Vivian. Both were critically acclaimed. The boys' choir also appears on the 2016 recording of John Rutter 's violin concerto Visions , and on an album of upper-voices Christmas music released

1316-402: The corps is exactly on a par with that of the other members of ambassadorial rank, so that he becomes dean only on becoming the senior member of the corps. For countries with which the Holy See has no diplomatic relations, an apostolic delegate is sent to serve as a liaison with the Catholic Church in that country, though not accredited to its government. This highest rank (literally "from

1363-548: The country they were accredited to. For example, the Italian-born Guala Bicchieri served as papal legate to England in the early 13th century and played a major role in both the English government and church at the time. By the Late Middle Ages it had become more common to appoint native clerics to the position of legate within their own country, such as Cardinal Wolsey acting as legate to

1410-510: The court of Henry VIII of England . The reason for this switch in policy could be attributed to a change in attitude on the eve of the Reformation ; by this point, foreign men representing the papacy would be more likely to reinforce dissent than bring Christendom closer together. Papal legates often summoned legatine councils , which dealt with church government and other ecclesiastical issues. According to Pope Gregory VII , writing in

1457-484: The destruction and abolition of the Knights Templar in 1307, King Edward II took control of the church as a Crown possession. It was later given to the Knights Hospitaller , who leased the Temple to two colleges of lawyers. One college moved into the part of the Temple previously used by the Knights, and the other into the part previously used by its clergy, and both shared the use of the church. The colleges evolved into

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1504-465: The direct jurisdiction of an archbishop and a royal peculiar is subject to the direct jurisdiction of the monarch. Most peculiars survived the Reformation but, with the exception of royal peculiars, were finally abolished during the 19th century by various Acts of Parliament and became subject to the jurisdiction of the diocese in which they lay, although a few non-royal peculiars still exist. The majority of royal peculiars that remain are within

1551-465: The grievances of the barons would be addressed in the summer, which led to the signing by the king of Magna Carta in June. Marshal later became regent during the reign of John's infant son, King Henry III (1216–1272). Henry later expressed a desire to be buried in the church and, to accommodate this, in the early 13th century the chancel of the original church was pulled down and a new larger chancel

1598-425: The interior, including the addition of an altar screen and the installation of the church's first organ. The church underwent a Victorian restoration in 1841 by Smirke and Burton, who decorated the walls and ceiling in high Victorian Gothic style in an attempt to return the church back to its supposed original appearance. In 1850 a fire begun in the furnace room badly damaged the chorister's room above and threatened

1645-481: The location of a Roman temple in Londinium , now known as London). Because of the rapid growth of the order , by the 1160s the site had become too confined, and the order purchased the current site for the establishment of a larger monastic complex as their headquarters in England. In addition to the church, the new compound originally contained residences, military training facilities, and recreational grounds for

1692-523: The military brethren and novices, who were not permitted to go into the City without the permission of the Master of the Temple. The church building comprises two separate sections: The original circular church building, called the Round Church and now acting as a nave , and a later rectangular section adjoining on the east side, built approximately half a century later, forming the chancel . After

1739-468: The modern gardens. Following an agreement in 1608 by King James I , the two Inns were granted use of the church in perpetuity on condition that they should support and maintain it. They continue to use the Temple church as their ceremonial chapel. The church escaped damage in the Great Fire of London of 1666. Nevertheless, it was refurbished by Christopher Wren , who made extensive modifications to

1786-531: The organ situated behind that room's wall, but was extinguished before it could spread further. Further restoration work was executed in 1862 by James Piers St Aubyn . On 10 May 1941, German incendiary bombs set the roof of the Round Church on fire, and the fire quickly spread to the nave and chapel. The organ and all the wooden parts of the church, including the Victorian renovations, were destroyed and

1833-456: The organ, while a large orchestra played throughout the church. Zimmer is quoted saying that "Setting foot into Temple Church is like stepping into profound history. ...Temple Church houses one of the most magnificent organs in the world." The choir continues to record, broadcast and perform, in addition to its regular services at the Temple Church. It is an all-male choir, consisting of 18 boys who are all educated on generous scholarships (most of

1880-519: The privilege of wearing scarlet cassocks. Debate exists regarding the relationship of its status as Crown subject and peculiar. Relations with the Bishop of London are very good and she regularly attends events and services at the Temple Church. The Bishop of London is also ex officio Dean of the Chapel Royal . The church offers regular choral music performances and organ recitals. A choir in

1927-462: The realm). The compound was regularly used as a residence by kings and by legates of the Pope . The Temple also served as an early safety-deposit bank, sometimes in defiance of the Crown's attempts to seize the funds of nobles who had entrusted their wealth there. The quasi-supra-national independent network and great wealth of the order throughout Europe, and the jealousy this caused in secular kingdoms,

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1974-463: 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

2021-401: The same functions as an ambassador and has the same diplomatic privileges. Under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations , to which the Holy See is a party, a nuncio is an ambassador like those from any other country. The Vienna Convention allows the host state to grant seniority of precedence to the nuncio over others of ambassadorial rank accredited to the same country, and may grant

2068-507: The same year. The church contains two organs: a chamber organ built by Robin Jennings in 2001, and a four manual Harrison & Harrison organ, built in 1924 as a private ballroom organ at Glen Tanar House and installed at the Temple Church in 1954. The church has had a number of famous organists, including: Inner Temple Middle Temple (from 1814 for both Inner and Middle Temple) The church always has two clergy, called

2115-479: The suggestion of Bernard Herrmann ), and Paul Tortelier made his recording of the complete Bach Cello Suites there in April 1982. In 2003 the church was the location of a music video of Libera . While writing the score for Interstellar , film composer Hans Zimmer chose the Temple Church for the recording of the parts of the score that included an organ. The church's former organist, Roger Sayer , played

2162-489: Was built, the basic form of which survives today. It was consecrated on Ascension Day 1240 and comprises a central aisle and two side aisles , north and south, of identical width. The height of the vault is 36 feet 3 inches (11.05 m). Although one of Henry's infant sons was buried in the chancel, Henry himself later altered his will to reflect his new wish to be buried in Westminster Abbey . After

2209-473: Was discovered that elements of the 17th-century renovations made by Wren had survived in storage and these were replaced in their original positions. The church was rededicated in November 1958. The church was designated a Grade I listed building on 4 January 1950. Among other purposes, the church was originally used for Templar initiation ceremonies. In England the ceremony involved new recruits entering

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