The Headquarters of the Hospitallers and Templars in London and Paris

This article examines the headquarters of the Hospitallers and Templars in London and Paris from their foundation to the trial of the Templars, offering the first sustained comparative study of all six sites within a single analytical frame. Drawing on archaeological evidence, documentary sources, historical cartography, antiquarian accounts, and sculptural corpora, it reconstructs the topographical and architectural evolution of the Priory of Saint John at Clerkenwell, the Old and New Temple in London, and the Priory of Saint-Jean-de-Latran, the Vieux Temple, and the Enclos du Temple in Paris. The analysis considers where the orders built within the urban fabric, how royal patronage shaped their building campaigns, and what their architecture owed to Eastern origins as opposed to local tradition. The comparative evidence reveals a fundamental divergence in the settlement strategies of the two orders and sheds new light on their relationship with the crusading topography of Jerusalem.