St Benet Paul's Wharf
The Church of St Benet Paul's Wharf is the Welsh church in the City of London . It has been the Church of the College of Arms since 1555 , and many heralds are buried there.
history
The first church on this site has been documented since 1111, dedicated to Benedict of Nursia . Paul's Wharf was recently excavated and the finds are evidence of Roman life in London. A little to the west stood the water jetty at Baynard's Castle , which is mentioned several times in church documents and played part of the sad story of the two queens Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Gray . The church was destroyed in the great fire of London in September 1666.
The present church of Sir Christopher Wren was built by his master builder Thomas Starke between 1677 and 1683. It is a particularly valuable example of Wren's work, as it is one of only four churches in London that were not damaged during World War II and has therefore been preserved in the original state Wren planned. It resembles a Dutch country church and is built of red and blue bricks with carved stone garlands over the windows. A hipped roof covers the nave. The tower contains the base of the old tower up to a height of about twelve meters, covered with bricks and stones. The tower is crowned by a weather vane located above the domed roof and has a total height of 35 meters.
Church of the College of Arms
St Benet has been the church of the College of Arms since 1555 when King Philip and Queen Maria I. Derby House (it stood on the northeast corner of the cemetery) made the college the official residence of the college. Since then, members have had their own seats in the church. The funerals of at least 25 Officers of Arms , beginning with Sir Gilbert Dethick in 1584 and a large number of the staff, can be read from the registers. There are several memorials in the church, including the particularly striking plaque dedicated to John Charles Brooke Somerset Herald . In this church took place on March 2, 1984, the 500th anniversary of its founding as a college with all heralds, heralds and other members of the College of Arms, along with the Earl Marshal of England , Duke of Norfolk and the Earl of Arundel and Surrey .
In 1652, the king's architect Inigo Jones was buried in St. Benet alongside his father and mother. A copy of the inscription of the original monument that burned in the great fire hangs over the original tomb.
The church became the parish church of the lawyers of the nearby building complex, like the Inn of Court today, and is especially known for its quick weddings. For example, in the 18th century, 1,300 marriages were concluded in one year. They were also experts in civil law, practicing in ecclesiastical courts, the High Court of Admiralty and the High Court of Chivalry . The lawyers had their seats on the north gallery of the church, paying five pounds a year per household and paying the pastor. The lawyers' buildings were demolished in 1867 and the legal profession was distributed to other areas. Only the High Court of Chivalry remained in the College of Arms.
The emptying of the City of London in the 19th century did not leave St. Benet untouched. In 1879, the church should be demolished, and only through the personal commitment of the Queen I. Victoria was able to be prevented. It was saved by amalgamating with St. Nicholas Cole Abbey on the same street, was preserved as a parish church and was designated as the London Church of the Welsh Church, with the Welsh language as the liturgical language .
The church was inscribed on the Image of England List as a Grade I listed building on January 4, 1950 . The interior of the church was badly damaged by arson in 1971, but fortunately this was mainly limited to the northeast corner. However, the entire interior was affected by the intense heat. In the subsequent restoration, the remarkable organ by JC Bischof from 1833 could be rebuilt in its original location on the west gallery. The church reopened in May 1973.
In 2008 the church was closed for a few months, but was able to reopen in time for the Christmas service of the same year. Welsh services are held weekly on Sundays at 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. The church can be visited on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Heraldic shield
Heraldic shield above the entrance
Heraldic shields in the anteroom
inner space
The interior of the church is square and has a large gallery. The reredos , altar and pulpit are by Grinling Gibbons from 1683. The altar cabinets , the rich marble floor and the carved wooden ceiling are all part of the original furnishings. The magnificent carved main door is unique because of the Stuart coat of arms of Charles II affixed above it . The seating is a donation from Sir Leoline Jenkins , Judge of the High Court of Admiralty, who later became Charles II's State Secretary. The King himself had a private box above the Stuart - Coats of arms, where he could attend the service without being seen.
organ
The organ was built in 1973 by the organ builders Hill, Norman & Beard, using pipe material from the previous instrument, which was built in 1898 by the organ builder JC Bishop. The instrument has 14 registers on two manuals and a pedal . The actions are mechanical.
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Interior to the north
College of Arms Memorial
heraldry
In the church hang the banners and coats of arms of the thirteen incumbent members of the College of Arms, with the banner of the Duke of Norfolk as their head and degree. On the east wall is a carved and painted coat of arms of the college from the 17th century, while on the north wall is the so-called Garter Board , with the coat of arms of the Garter Principal King of Arms since the college was founded in 1398. In addition, are many members of the college are buried in the Church and official acts of heralds still take place here.
Literary mention
In Shakespeare's play The Twelfth Night, or What You Want from 1602, it says:
“Clown: Primo, secundo, tertio, is a good play; and the old
saying is, the third pays for all: the triplex,
sir, is a good tripping measure; or the bells of
Saint Bennet , sir, may put you in mind; one, two, three. "
The Hans-Wurst asks Duke Orsino to add a third to the two coins he received and reminds him of the triad bell of the church.
Tombs of heralds
- Hon. Sir George Rothe Bellew , Garter Principal King of Arms , (* December 13, 1899, † 1993)
- Sir Ralph Bigland , Garter Principal King of Arms, (born January 29, 1712, † March 27, 1784)
- Sir Anthony Richard Wagner , Garter Principal King of Arms, (born September 6, 1908, † May 5, 1995)
- Sir Gilbert Dethick , Garter Principal King of Arms, (ca.1510, † October 3, 1584)
- Sir Henry St George , Garter Principal King of Arms (1645)
- John Riddell Bromhead Walker , Clarenceux King of Arms , (born June 21, 1913, † September 9, 1984)
- George Drewry Squibb , Norfolk Herald of Arms Extraordinary , (December 1, 1906 - January 3, 1994)
- Rodney Onslow Dennys , Somerset Herald of Arms in Ordinary , (1911, † August 13, 1993)
- Major Francis Jones , Wales Herald of Arms Extraordinary , (5 July 1908 - 14 December 1993)
- John Philipot , Somerset Herald of Arms in Ordinary, (* 1588, † November 22, 1645)
- John Charles Brooke , Somerset Herald of Arms in Ordinary, (born August 27, 1748, † February 3, 1794)
See also
Web links
- Homepage of the St. Benet Church
- About St. Benet as a Church of the College of Arms ( July 9, 2011 memento in the Internet Archive )
Coordinates: 51 ° 30 '42 " N , 0 ° 5' 57" W.
Individual evidence
- ^ John Betjeman : The City of London Churches. Pitkin Pictorials, London 1967.
- ↑ Gerald Cobb: The old churches of London. London, Batsford 1942.
- ^ Tony Tucker: The Visitor's Guide to the City of London Churches. Tony Tucker, London 2006, ISBN 0-9553945-0-3 .
- ^ Simon Bradley, Nikolaus Pevsner : London. The City Churches. Yale University Press, New Haven CT 1998, ISBN 0-300-09655-0 .
- ↑ Information about the organ (English).
- ^ Act 5, scene 1