120 THE ORIGINS OF FREEMASONRY FROM ANCIENT TIMES TO THE MIDDLE AGES
stonecutters, and so forth—is particularly significant. To this extent we
can safely claim that the Temple survived, even under its own name, the
destruction of the Order. This fact has escaped most of those studying the
history of Freemasonry, for they have often been overly prone to focus-
ing on only the religious and spiritual aspects of the Templars and to
seek—or refute—the survival of the Order within what can be character-
ized as chivalrous or philosophical organizations.
Templar Traditions and Parisian BuildersThe bond between the Templars and the masons and carpenters was so
strong that traces of it remained for centuries. The Templar's domain in
Paris was, throughout its entire existence, the preferred dwelling place
for these builders. Convincing evidence of this can be found simply by
taking a stroll through time and space within this former Templar area.
We will begin our walk at the Temple itself. From there we will go to
Saint Nicolas des Champs and Notre Dame de Bonne Nouvelle, then
down toward the Seine by way of Saint Gilles, Saint Leu, and Saint
Merri. We will linger momentarily at Saint Paul, Saint Gervais, and
Saint Jean en Greve before crossing the Seine to Ile de la Cite. We will
then end our visit to the Templar commandery on the left bank of the
Seine, at Saint Julien le Pauvre and Saint Severin.
The House of the Temple inside the Enclos, the church, and the
famous Templar tower were built on the territory of Saint Nicolas de
Champs parish. The Templars' original church, the rotunda, was built
some time around 1140 and was modeled on the Holy Sepulchre. The
nave and choir were built at a later date and the church was definitively
consecrated on January 11, 1217.
This rotunda is comparable in every respect to the one built later in
London and dedicated in 1185. It seems that the same architect designed
both churches.^18 We know that a Christian architectonic association
brought over from the Holy Land by the Templars built the Temple on
Fleet Street in London. Could this same association be credited with con-
struction of the Temple in Paris? It is almost a certainty that no mason
and carpenters association existed at that time in Paris. The oldest mer-
chant brotherhood of the capital, the mercatores aquae, is not mentioned