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 the remains of an old church from the Middle Ages. It stands on Bredenstone hill, which is part of the Dover Western Heights in Kent, England. This site is very important, and English Heritage has officially protected it as a scheduled monument. This means it's a special historical place that needs to be preserved.
History of the Church
This church was built in a similar way to the New Temple Church in London, but it was smaller. Because of how it was designed, some people think it belonged to the Knights Templar. The Knights Templar were a famous group of medieval knights who were also monks. However, old records don't actually list this church as one of theirs.
If it was a Templar church, it might have been used before they built their church at Temple Ewell in 1170. That church was the Norman church of St Peter and St Paul. It's also possible that 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.
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 Pope's representative, Pandulph, in May 1213. However, this event most likely happened at Temple Ewell, not at this specific church in Dover.
What the Church Looks Like
The church has a round main part, called a nave, which is about 10 meters (33 feet) wide. It also has a long, rectangular part called a chancel. The church was mostly built using flint stones mixed with smooth, cut stones called ashlar. This unusual shape, with a round nave, is similar to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
See Also
