Fleet Street

Temple Church and the Da Vinci Code

Inner Temple Kings Bench Walk London EC4

This church is located in the midst  of the Inner Temple buildings.  Its unusual name derives from the Knights Templar, a "Chivalrous Order" of men, who used to fight and protect pilgrims to the Holy Land.  In the Middle Ages it was fashionable to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem because you could gain merit and hope to spend less time in Purgatory, according to the beliefs of the Catholic Church at that time

Temple Church

The Knights Templar were based here and had initiation ceremonies in the crypt of the Church.  The Church was re-built after damage in Victorian times, but still retains the circular nave and the 700 year old Crypt.  The tombs of several of the Kights Templar are in the nave - they show effigies of knights with crossed swords and twisted legs, all clad in chain mail armour.

The church is the subject of some notoriety as it is one of the settings for the book "The Da Vinci Code".  There are tours of the church undertaken when a member of the clergy explains the Da Vinci Code and the book's connections with the Church.

Nearest Tube Station: Temple

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