St Dunstan in the West
City of London, Greater London
At St Dunstan in the West, centuries of Christian worship continue today in a beautiful and welcoming church where faith, music and prayer are at the heart of daily life in the City.
Medieval architecture meets Wren’s refurbishments in this inspiring building, the Mother Church of the Common Law. The Magna Carta exhibit has William Marshal and King John where they would have debated and agreed clauses of Magna Carta. The round church is modelled on the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. In 1608 King James I gave the whole area of the Temple to the two societies of lawyers, Inner and Middle Temple, who have maintained the church beautifully to the present day.
Here are 800 years of history: from the Crusaders in the 12th century, through the turmoil of the Reformation and the founding father of Anglican theology, to some of the most famous church music in London.
The church was built by the Knights Templar, the order of crusading monks founded to protect pilgrims on their way to and from Jerusalem in the 12th century.
The church is in two parts: the Round and the Chancel. The Round Church was consecrated in 1185 by the patriarch of Jerusalem. It was designed to recall the holiest place in the Crusaders’ world: the circular Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
It is the Mother Church of the Common Law and one of the most historic and beautiful churches in London. It is also a numinous space and has a wonderful acoustic for singing.