St Ethelburga-the-Virgin within Bishopsgateis aChurch of Englandchurch in theCity of London,located onBishopsgatenearLiverpool Street station.
| St Ethelburga's Bishopsgate | |
|---|---|
 Current church building | |
 | |
| Location | London,EC2 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | stethelburgas.org |
| History | |
| Founded | c.1250 |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade Ilisted building |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | London |
One of the few surviving medieval City churches in London, the foundation date of the church is unknown, but it was first recorded in 1250 as the church of St Adelburga the Virgin.
The church was rebuilt around 1411 and some of this material remains, notably in the south arcade.
The church was severely damaged by anIRA bombin 1993. Following rebuilding and restoration it re-opened as a Centre for Reconciliation and Peace.
History
editThis structure is a rare survivor of the medieval City churches that were mostly destroyed during theGreat Fire of Londonin 1666.[1]It is dedicated toSt Ethelburga,a 7th-centuryabbessofBarking Abbey;[2]she was the sister ofSaint Erkenwald,aBishop of London.Its foundation date is unknown, but it was first recorded in 1250 as the church ofSt Adelburga-the-Virgin.The dedication to "-the-Virgin" was dropped inPuritantimes 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.[3]A weathervane was added in 1671.[4]In order to raise revenue for the church, whose parish covered just three acres (1.2 ha), a wooden porch was built over its exterior in the 16th century to house two shops.[5]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 duringthe Blitzof theSecond World War[6]and was restored in 1953. In 1993, the church was half destroyed when a massiveIRAbomb exploded7 metres from the church, devastating Bishopsgate and causing an estimated £350 million worth of damage. An evangelical faction of theChurch of Englandproposed to demolish St Ethelburga's in the aftermath but, following a sustained public outcry, it was rebuilt to its original plan, though much changed inside.[citation needed]
Description
editThe church's tiny interior comprises a nave and aisle divided by an arcade. Most of the original fittings were destroyed by the1993 bombing[7]although they were not as old as the church. Dating from the early 20th century, they were the work ofNinian Comper.One of the more notable surviving elements is the curious 19th-century font,[8]which is inscribed with one of the longest knownpalindromes,written inGreek:ΝΙΨΟΝ ΑΝΟΜΗΜΑΤΑ ΜΗ ΜΟΝΑΝ ΟΨΙΝ,which translates as "Cleanse [your] transgressions, not only [your] face".
The church was designated a Grade Ilisted buildingon 4 January 1950, and its reconstruction retains the listing.[9]
Centre for Reconciliation and Peace
editThis sectioncontainspromotional content.(February 2018) |
This sectionrelies largely or entirely on asingle source.(September 2018) |
St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace is anon-profit charitywhich aims to build relationships across divisions of conflict, culture and religion. Its work includes: a multi-faith conflict resilience programme[10](faith leaders working together to become more intelligent in their responses to conflict); community reconciliation[11](building a coalition for peace within the North and South Sudanesediasporain London); the Narrative Practitioners Forum[12](promoting the use of narrative and personal story for building empathy between people with different backgrounds); Re-awakening the Sacred[13](a secular and spiritual multi-disciplinary enquiry into bringing a deeper sense of meaning into the earth, environment, leadership, economics and business etc.); an MA in reconciliation atWinchester University;[14]and several strands of cultural exchange work mentoring young adults into social action leadership roles.
It also runs a certificated three-day course in conflict coaching aimed at anyone dealing with workplace or personal conflict.[15]
The centre also works with a social enterprise, Seasoned Events, for building/venue hire purposes.[16][17]
Every year the Centre organises a 10km walk, 'The Ethelburga Walk', which links two historic sites associated with the St Ethelburga ofBarking:Barking Abbeyand St Ethelburga's Centre.[18]
St Ethelburga's is a partner in the community of theCross of Nails.[19]
Notable people associated with the church
edit- Blessed John Larke,Rector (1504–1544) who was martyred for denying the royal supremacy in matters spiritual.
- Henry Hudson,explorer, took communion with his crew before setting out in search of theNorthwest Passage,1607.
- Charles Viner(1678-1756) married in the church in 1699.
- John Medows Rodwell,Rector (1843–1900) who made the first reliable rendering of theQur'aninto English (1861).
- W. F. Geikie-Cobb, Rector (1900–1941) who achieved notoriety by marrying many divorced persons in the church.
- SingersWebster BoothandAnne Ziegler(born Irené Frances Eastwood) had their marriage blessed by W. F. Geikie-Cobb in a special ceremony for divorced persons on 5 November 1938.
See also
edit
- 100 Bishopsgate- building next to St Ethelburga's
- List of churches and cathedrals of London
References
edit- ^Sandler, Corey (2007).Henry Hudson: Dreams and Obsession.New York City:Citadel Press.ISBN978-0-8065-2739-0.
- ^"The City of London Churches: monuments of another age" Quantrill, E; Quantrill, M p32: London; Quartet; 1975
- ^Cobb, Gerald (1942).The Old Churches of London.London:B. T. Batsford.
- ^Piper, David(1964).The Companion Guide To London.London:Collins.p. 334.
- ^"The City Churches" Tabor, M. p33:London; The Swarthmore Press Ltd; 1917
- ^Tucker, Tony (2006).The Visitors Guide to the City of London Churches.London: Friends of the City Churches.ISBN0-9553945-0-3.
- ^Hibbert, Christopher;Weinreb, Ben& Keay, John (1983).The London Encyclopaedia.London:Pan Macmillan.ISBN978-1-4050-4924-5.
- ^Pevsner, Nikolaus;Bradley, Simon (1998).London: the City Churches.New Haven:Yale University Press.ISBN0-300-09655-0.
- ^Historic England."Guild Church of St Ethelburga The Virgin, Bishopsgate EC2 (1191603)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved23 January2009.
- ^"Conflict Resilience".St Ethelburgas.Archived fromthe originalon 28 December 2014.
- ^"Community Reconciliation".St Ethelburgas.Archived fromthe originalon 24 July 2014.
- ^"The Narrative Practitioners Forum".St Ethelburgas.
- ^"Re-awakening the Sacred".St Ethelburgas.
- ^"MA Reconciliation at Winchester University".St Ethelburgas.
- ^"St Ethelburga's Conflict Coaching".St Ethelburgas.
- ^O'Beirne, Sarah (12 June 2014)."Seasoned finds sanctuary in the city".Facilities Management Journal.kpm media.
- ^"Event Venue: Seventy Eight Bishopsgate".Seasoned Events.
- ^"The Ethelburga Walk".St Ethelburgas.Archived fromthe originalon 8 August 2014.
- ^"Partners in the Community of the Cross of Nails – Europe"(PDF).Coventry Cathedral.Retrieved7 July2017.
External links
edit
- St Ethelburga's BishopsgateonTwitter
- Coordinates of the epicentre of the 1993 IRA bomb-explosion51°30′56″N0°04′56″W/ 51.5156°N 0.0822°W