The churches of London have been through a lot over the past few centuries and the show us every major phase of English history. The church had a great importance in the medieval society and transitioned now to the modern days. There are little events that changed the buildings inside and outside such as the laying of London Underground which damaged only one churches and there are big incidence such as the Great fire of London which completely destroyed or severely damaged over 80 churches.
Since there are so many churches I focused on just five different ones and their historic background. All of them are set in the City of London, which is the center of the much bigger city London and are still in use today.
Most of the Churches were built in the Romanik style between 1000 – 1250. The All Hallows London Wall church was built on top of the old roman wall which surrounded Londinium. And the church of St. Bartholomew the Great, which was found by an Augustinian priory in 1123, even after restoration still has a big part built in the Romanik style. The curch of St. Olave Hart Street was built in 1270 and already restored in the 15th century with funds from Robert and Richard Cely.
During and the first century after the Reformation in England, which took place between 1517 and 1648, not a lot of new churches were built but the existing ones were changed, mostly on the inside because the liturgical requirements changed.
The medieval church St. Nicholas Cole Abbey which was destroyed in the Great Fire in 1666 was one of the frist to be rebuilt by Christopher Wren . Also rebuilt by Christopher Wren between 1670 - 1675 was St. Bride’s, Fleet Street which was completely burnt down. A total of 51 churches were rebuilt by Christopher Wr...
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...riginally founded as a hospital, a schoolroom was created and in the Lady Chapel was a letterpress available. All Hallows London Wall is the home for number of charity organisations, the churchyard of St.Olave Hart Street was described by Charles Dickens in “The Uncommercial Traveller“ as one of hist most beloved churchyards and underneath St.Bride’s Fleet Street lays a crypt that has important elements of Roman, Saxon and Norman work, as well as later medieval phases of construction .
Churches are a great resemblance of what happens in history because the always remain while so much else has been swept away . They show us every phase of architectural history and within their walls
They don’t change so much during our lifetime but over a longer period of time you can definitely see the history behind it.
Works Cited
Londons Churches
The city of londons churches
Before this council, the way a church building would have been set out was very different. A church built prior to 1962 would have been built as if it were a large cross if you were to look at it from the sky.
With minimal amounts of historical documentation, it is difficult to determine whether a church survived prior to Westminster Abbey (Internet Chronology). While the Venerable Bede provides no records of a pre-existing church, folklore attributes the establishment to King Serbert of the East Saxons (Internet St. Edward). He is also recognized for founding St. Paul’s Cathedral in London (St. Edward). King Serbert built the Benedictine church in 616 AD, after a fisherman is said to have been on the Thames river when he witnessed a vision of St. Peter (Internet Saint Peter). St. Peter is given credit for allegedly consecrating the church himself (Internet St. Edward). One of the Twelve Apostles, the Gospel mentions that he was the first to profess his faith believing Jesus was the Son of God (Internet Chronology). Charters found in the Abbey support the existing folklore (Chronology). Records prove that King Offa made a grant for the monastery in 785 ‘to St. Peter and the needy people of God in Thorney in the terrible, awful place which is called “act Westmunster”’ (Chronology). The charter was also significant in first naming Westminster, setting it apart from its brother to the east, St. Paul’s Cathedral (Internet St. Edward). From Glastonbury to Westminster, St. Dunstan, Bishop of London, brought twelve monks to the Abbey around 960 AD (St. Edward). A charter granting land to the church in 961, by King Edgar, refers to a church existing in the area (Internet Chronology). However a place of worship originated there, it is Edward the Confessor who is credited with the establishment of Westminster Abbey.
The long-term causes of the Reformation- the corruption of the church and the hostility of the laity- appear to have been historical illusion. " I have come to the conclusion, that the Church in England in 1529 needed considerable reforms, because many abuses, undoubtedly, had occurred in various departments of religious life.
We remember William of Normandy as a conquering hero. Truly one of the great warrior's of all time. But its is his patronage that still can be viewed in the twentieth century. The churches of St. Etienne and La Trinite as well as the tower of London, are medieval architectural models. All three buildings have a wealth of documentation surrounding them.
After King of England, Henry VIII (1491 – 1547) separated the Church of England from the authority of the Pope, the Crown took control of the church in the country. As such, after the English Reformation in the 16th century, the Crown ordered...
The Basilica of St. Denis contributed to the rise of the Catholic Church, for it provided a physical representation of the “Holy Jerusalem”, for many people to see. By viewing this representation of heaven, many people reestablished their faith into the church and longed for salvation, so that they can be accepted into the “spiritual heaven” after their death. This desperate attempt to gain salvation caused individuals to devote themselves to the church, which brought the Catholic Church leverage, power, and wealth.
The church's architecture over all is simple. It is 24 by 34 square feet and set on a stone wall. It is a frontier style cabin and is made from hand hewn logs, which are notched at each end so that they fit together snugly at the corners. The roof is shingled...
The original basilica, built by Emperor Constantine in the fourth century, is the foundation to this building. To those of the Christian faith, this building is the epitome of belief. St Peter’s Basilica is where the Catholic faith starts.
Both St. John the Baptist Cathedral and Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Chartres are constructed in French Gothic style which means that architecturally they have many similarities. However, the 700 year gap between their construction
His greatest renown was for St. Paul’s Cathedral, but his major public buildings, and the delicacy and variety displayed in the fifty-or-so parish churches, also contribute to his enduring influence in architecture down to the present day.
...er is still an economic boost to the city of London as a must see. Because the structure was so impressive, it brought quite a bit of tourism to the city. The designs were extremely important to the people because it showed the greatness of their country and still held the conservative belief that was once lost in the past. It just goes to show just how important it was to the church, the people, and to the commonwealth of the cities and towns that had such amazing structures erected.
The Church provided services to the poor, care of the sick, helpless, and travelers (Frem...
Church History in Plain Language is written by Bruce L. Shelley. This work focuses on the history of Christianity from 6 B.C. to the current period. It covers some of Christianity’s greatest events, theologians, and the various subsection of Christianity. Other than the events leading up to the death of Jesus, I had very little knowledge of Christianity’s history. After reading through the book, I have gained understanding on the Christian Councils, scholasticism, Christendom, and modern trends of Christianity.
...the church. In conclusion, because of the Reformation, churches have greatly changed, and are continuing to change to this day.
Before the Reformation, England was a Roman Catholic society that was led by the Pope in Rome. Religious life followed a very traditional and structured way of life and was very much ‘deeply embedded in the whole social and mental fabric of the country’ (Russell, 1996, p. 262). Roman Catholic’s were a very visual and ritual based religion and their churches were extremely lavish in design and contained highly decorated furnishings inside (Wolffe, 2008). The changes in religion in England over the centuries tended to follow the religion of each different King or Queen (The Crown and the Bible, 2011).