Knights Templar Church, Dover facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Knights Templar Church, Dover |
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Knights Templar Church, Dover
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| OS grid reference | TR 31288 40719 |
| Built | 11th Century |
| Built for | Templars |
| Reference no. | 467854 |
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The Knights Templar Church in Dover is what's left of an old church from the medieval times. It sits on Bredenstone hill, which is part of the Dover Western Heights in Kent, England. This special ruin has been marked as a scheduled monument by English Heritage, meaning it's a very important historical site.
History of the Church
This church was designed in a similar way to the New Temple Church in London, but it was smaller. Because of its unique shape, people have connected it to the Knights Templar. The Knights Templar were a famous group of Christian knights who lived a long time ago. However, old records don't actually list this church as belonging to them.
If it was a Templar church, it might have been used before they built a church at Temple Ewell in 1170. That church was called St Peter and St Paul and was built in the Norman style. It's also possible the Dover church was just a simple shrine by the side of a road.
In 1309, a person named Ralph de Malton was in charge of the church at Temple Ewell. He was called a "preceptor."
Discovery and Royal Connections
The ruins of the church were found in 1806. This happened when people were building new defenses on the Dover Western Heights.
A historian named Matthew Paris wrote that the Templar church in Dover was where King John gave up his power to the papal legate Pandulph in May 1213. A papal legate was a special representative sent by the Pope. However, most historians now think this event probably happened at Temple Ewell, not at this church in Dover.
Church Design
The church has a round main part called a nave, which is about 10 meters (33 feet) across. It also has a long, rectangular section called a chancel. The church was mostly built using flint stones, with smooth, cut stones (called ashlar) on the outside. This unusual circular shape is like the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, which is a very important holy place.
See also
