The
Temple Church is a late 12th-century
church in the
City of London located between
Fleet Street and the
River Thames, built by the
Knights Templar as their English headquarters. During the reign of King John (1199–1216) it served as the royal treasury, supported by the role of the Knights Templars as proto-international bankers. It is 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 known as the
Temple and nearby formerly in the middle of Fleet Street stood the
Temple Bar, an ornamental processional gateway. Nearby is the
Temple Underground station.