St Ethelburga's Bishopsgate

St Ethelburga's Bishopsgate

Infobox church
name = St. Ethelburga's Bishopsgate
fullname =
color =


imagesize =
caption = Current photo of St. Ethelburga's Bishopsgate
landscape =
denomination = Anglican, earlier Roman Catholic
diocese =
parish =
division =
subdivision =
founded_date =
founder =
architect =
style =
constructed_date =
dedicated_date =
closed_date =
demolished_date =
bishop =
priest =
archdeacon =
dean =
provost =
rector =
canon =
prebendary =
curate =
chaplain =
vicar =
deacon =
abbot =
minister =
seniorpastor =
pastor =
address = City of London
country = United Kingdom
phone =
website =

St Ethelburga-the-Virgin within Bishopsgate is a Church of England church in the City of London, located on Bishopsgate near Liverpool Street station.

The church is a rare survival of the medieval City churches that were mostly destroyed during the Great Fire of London in 1666. It is dedicated to St Ethelburga, a 7th century abbess of Barking; she was the sister of Saint Erkenwald, a Bishop of London. Its foundation date is unknown, but it was first recorded in 1250 as the church of "St Adelburga-the-Virgin". The dedication to "-the-Virgin" was dropped in Puritan times but was later restored.

The church was rebuilt in the 15th century – possibly around 1411 – and a small square bell turret was added in 1775 ["The Old Churches of London" Cobb,G: London, Batsford, 1942] . In order to raise revenue for the church, whose parish covered just three acres (12,000 m²), a wooden porch was built over its exterior in the 16th century to house two shops. It underwent major changes in 1932, when Bishopsgate was controversially widened. The shops were demolished and the porch dismantled, revealing the façade of the church for the first time in centuries.

It suffered modest bomb damage during the Second World War ["The Visitors Guide to the City of London Churches" Tucker,T: London, Friends of the City Churches, 2006 ISBN 0955394503] and was restored in 1953. In 1993, the church was almost completely destroyed when a massive IRA bomb exploded nearby, devastating Bishopsgate and causing an estimated £1bn worth of damage. The Church of England proposed to demolish St Ethelburga's in the aftermath but, following a public outcry, it was rebuilt to its original plan, though much changed internally.

It now houses the St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace, which organises a programme of more than 100 public events a year exploring the relationship between faith and conflict, as well as inter-faith dialogue and training. It is also used for private meetings to reconcile people in conflict.

The church's tiny interior comprises a nave and aisle divided by an arcade. Most of the original fittings were destroyed by the 1993 bombing (although they were, for the most part, not particularly historic as they dated mostly from the 19th and 20th centuries). One of the more notable survivals is the curious 19th century font [ "London:the City Churches” Pevsner,N/Bradley,S New Haven, Yale, 1998 ISBN 0300096550] , which is inscribed with one of the longest known palindromes, written in Greek: NIΨON ANOMHMATA MH MONAN OΨIN, which translates as "Cleanse my transgressions, not only my face".

Notable people associated with the church

*Henry Hudson, explorer, took communion with his crew before setting out to find the Northwest Passage, 1607
*John Medows Rodwell, Rector (1860 - 1900) who made the first reliable rendering of the Qur'an into English (1861)

ee also

*List of churches and cathedrals of London

Notes

* [http://www.stethelburgas.org St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Bishopsgate — infobox UK place official name= Ward of Bishopsgate city of london= true map type= Greater London country= England region= London london borough= City of London latitude= 51.514903 longitude= 0.082316 os grid reference= TQ330813 post town= LONDON …   Wikipedia

  • Ethelburga House —    On the west side of Bishopsgate, at 91 and 93 (P.O. Directory). In Bishopsgate Ward Within.    First mention: O.S., 1875.    The site was formerly occupied by the Vine Inn and Yard (q.v.).    Named after the church of St. Ethelburga on the… …   Dictionary of London

  • Bishopsgate Ward —    One of the twenty six Wards of London, west of and adjoining to Aldgate and Portsoken Wards. It is of large extent and consists of two parts, the Ward Within and the Ward Without, the one part wholly included within the City walls, while the… …   Dictionary of London

  • St Helen's Bishopsgate — Infobox church name = St Helen s Bishopsgate fullname = color = imagesize = caption = St Helen s Bishopsgate landscape = denomination = Evangelical Anglicanism diocese = parish = division = subdivision = founded date = founder = architect = style …   Wikipedia

  • 1993 Bishopsgate bombing — Infobox terrorist attack title=Bishopsgate bombing caption= Some of the destruction caused by the bomb location=Bishopsgate, City of London target=Financial district date=24 April 1993 time= 10:25 am timezone= GMT type=Truck bomb fatalities=1… …   Wikipedia

  • (St.) Ethelburga —    1) On the east side of Bishopsgate (P.O. Directory). In Bishopsgate Ward Within.    First mention found in records : 1278 9 (Anc. Deeds, A. 1843).    Other names : St. Edburga the Virgin within Bissopesgate, 1 Ed. I. (Anc. Deeds, A. 1620).… …   Dictionary of London

  • (St.) Alborgth —    See Ethelburga (St.), Bishopsgate …   Dictionary of London

  • (St.) Alborought —    See Ethelburga (St.), Bishopsgate …   Dictionary of London

  • List of structures in London — This is a list of notable buildings, complexes and monuments in London.0 9* 2 Willow Road * 6 Burlington Gardens * 6 Ellerdale Road * 10 Downing Street * 10 Palace Gate * 10 Upper Bank Street * 11 Downing Street * 12 Downing Street * 25 Bank… …   Wikipedia

  • Qur'an desecration — is defined as insulting the Qur an, by defiling or defacing it.Most traditional schools of Islamic law dictate that a Muslim may not touch the Qur an, which is regarded as the literal word of God in its untranslated Arabic form, unless he or she… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”