TEMPLE OLD KIRK -- SOME HISTORY
THE OLD KIRK and its GRAVEYARD
Temple Old Kirk is a picturesque ruined church structure, parts of which go back to the 12th Century, and with a historical connection to the Order of the Knights Templar, when Balantrodach, as Temple
and its surrounding lands were referred to in the
12th Century, was the principal seat of the Order in Scotland and where its Preceptory was established.
Although limited archaeological evidence remains
or is accessible, there are still some details and
features in the stonework of the Old Kirk that indicate
its origins with the Knights Templar and the
Order of St John that followed.
The peaceful graveyard that surrounds the Old Kirk
retains a sense of its previously central role in
the parish life of 17th-century Temple as it developed from an agricultural village to its present day form.
The headstones and their inscriptions also provide much insight into the strong connections between the place of worship the Kirk used to be and the different lives of local individuals from Arniston estate and Temple.
A gift to the Knights of St John
The inscription on the Eastern end of the Kirk is taken to mean:
'Vienne Sacrum Concilium Militibus Johannis Hierosolymitani Mletensibus', which, translated, 'The Sacred Council of Vienne, to the Knights of St John of Jerusalem and Malta' commemorates the gift of the church structure to the Knights Hospitaller or Order of St John when they succeeded the Knights Templar.