This church is a Royal Peculiar in the Church of England. It is located between Fleet Street and the River Thames in the Inner and Middle Temples of the Inns of Courts. It was originally built as the English headquarters of the Knights Templar.

In the mid-12th century, the Knights Templar in London met at a site in High Holborn. By the 1160s the order had experienced rapid growth which meant the current site was becoming too confined. The order therefore purchased the current site in order to build a larger monastic complex for their headquarters. It was consecrated on 10th February, 1185 by Patriarch Heraclius of Jerusalem.

The building consists of the original circular church building, called the Round Church which now acts as the nave and the later rectangular section on the east side forming the chancel. This was built in the late 1230s. The church was badly damaged during the Blitz and was restored during the years 1947-57 by Walter Godfrey.