Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
King Richard the Lionhearted. The church was the headquarters of the Knights Templar, a
band of heavily armed, highly trained monks who dressed in long white robes (decorated
with red crosses) beneath heavy armor. In their secret rituals, the knights were sworn to
chastity and to the protection of pilgrims on their way to the Muslim-held Holy Land.
Interior:
Inside, some honored knights lie face-up on the floor under the rotunda
of the circular “nave,” patterned after the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
A knight's crossed legs indicate that he probably died peacefully at home. Surrounding
the serene knights are grotesque faces, perhaps the twisted expressions seen in distant
wars (
£
4, visiting hours are irregular, often 11:00-16:00, but not every day,
Fans of
The Da Vinci Code
will recognize the Temple Church as a place the protagon-
ist comes to find clues leading to a special tomb. For the film version, some footage was
shot here.
