St. Martin-in-the Fields, London

 


 Image of St. Martin-in-the-Fields

This evening, I am posting information on the church of St. Martin-in-the Fields near Trafalgar Square, London.This falls within the Anglican denomination.Most of the information herein was sourced from Wikipedia.

Chronology

  • An AD410 Roman burial at the site may point to an early Christian place of worship,possibly replacing an earlier pagan temple.
  • The earliest extant reference to a church dates from 1222. King Henry VIII arranged a rebuild in 1542.
  • In 1606 work was authorised to extend, repair and beautify the building.
  • Due to physical deterioration, in 1722 Parliament passed an act for rebuild at a cost of GBP22,000.
  • James Gibbs was selected to design the new church. His rectilinear plan was accepted with foundation stone laid in 1722 and completion achieved 1724. Total cost was GBP33,661.
  • A GBP36.0M renewal programme was commenced in 2006. This concluded in 2008. 

Architecture

The church is rectangular in plan, with the five-bay nave divided from the aisles by arcades of Corinthian columns. There are galleries over both aisles and at the west end. The nave ceiling is a flattened barrel vault, divided into panels by ribs. The panels are decorated in stucco with cherubs, clouds, shells and scroll work, executed by Giuseppe Artari and Giovanni Bagutti.

The design subsequently became famous, copied widely in the U.S. and influenced Protestant church architecture around the world.

Church Mission 

This church is famous for it's work with the young and also homeless people. The crypt houses a cafe which hosts jazz concerts.


Church Interior 

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