Churches I love

Thanks Bathsheba. I thought it must be the one. Certainly is beautiful.

I loved the small church on Holy Island, namely the Parish Church of St. Mary the Virgin, it`s right next door to the Priory ruins. I also liked the village church at Kilmartin in Scotland, and the really small village church at Butterwick, near Boston, in Lincolnshire. One of my sons was married there, it`s a really sweet little church, with sheep wandering through the graveyard. Then there`s our local parish church in Boston, officially St. Botolphs, but known to all as The Stump, it`s beautiful.
I know we`re talking small churches, but I have a great fondness for the cathedral at St. Davids, also Chester cathedral and Canterbury cathedral.
I enclose a pic of The Stump

Another little church worth mentioning is St Peter's in Buckland-in-the-Moor, on Dartmoor. One of the interesting things about this church is that the clock on the steeple bears the words "MY DEAR MOTHER" in place of the usual numerals 1-12.

The story behind this is that the clock was donated to the church by one William Whitley, along with 3 new church bells. He commissioned the design of the clock face as a memorial to his mother who had recently died.

Some of the bigger ones are surprising. We were amazed to see Christopher Columbus's tomb in Seville and in Amalfi, a priest in the cathedral there told us they have St Andrew in the crypt.

Jura theres a little church in Devon that has the names of my OH 's anscestors..it too is a very uncommon name ,that originated in the village and it 's said that everyone in the world who carries the name can be linked back there

Our Lady and English Martyr’s in Cambridge is a beautiful church. On the outside the stone has darkened by pollution throughout the years, but inside it is tranquil and just lovely.
Mass on Sunday with the terrific organist is a joy.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201904/medium-140315-cc4.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201904/medium-872898-cc1.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201904/medium-440525-ccscargill.jpg

When I was 20, I took my Sunday School class, all boys, on a trip to the Yorkshire Dales to see Scargill Church. It was just 7 years old and I thought it very modern and beautiful.

It wasn't until I saw this thread and thought of Christchurch's Cardboard Cathedral, erected very quickly after the devastating earthquake of 2011, that I saw how similar they were.

The Cardboard Cathedral is now so beloved that rather than being a transitional edifice as was first planned, the community want it to stay.
The colourful windows catch the sun as a message of hope and renewal.

Bathsheba thanks for the reminder! I'd forgotten its name but when I was a child we stayed in a holiday cottage right next to St Peter's. The clock absolutely fascinated me, the graveyard right by our cottage less so!

The windows in Chartres Cathdral are a wonder

So many small churches in this country , a small village church just a few miles from here has the most beautiful
rood screen .

Please have a look at this website about some of the beautiful churches in Suffolk. To be part of this project the church must be open everyday.

angelsandpinnacles.org.uk/

One of the tiniest churches is in the yellow area in the hamlet of Shelland which has a barrel organ.

I miss the church I was "dragged" to on Sundays in my home town which is not that far from where I'm living now. It was where we were baptised, made our first communions and later on confirmation. It was a lovely church, but apparently problems with car parking etc., it was demolished, I never thought that was a good enough reason , however a new site was found with better parking and a new church was built. My childhood memories are in the old church, I'd left home by the time the new one was built so it's of little interest to me, I'm not that keen on modern churches anyway.

I've found some lovely churches in Kent, Devon and Great Malvern, where the English parts of my family are buried, the latter has a mausoleum type grave belonging to 4 x great grandfather. All beautiful churches going back possibly prior to the Reformation.

Also just come back from Seville, massive cathedral and as you say KatyK, it has the tomb of Christopher Columbus, his remains were moved about the Americas as Spain lost ground there before being placed in Seville. Crawling with tourists though so little scope for quiet contemplation.

Like Notre Dame most of the medieval cathedrals of Europe are awe inspiring, I particularly love Canterbury.

Another lovely church is the glass church in St Helier, Jersey. Full of Lalique, including the font. Wonderful...

I love Churches, large or small. Visited "The Cathedral on the Moors" in Widecombe in the Moors soon after I moved to Devon. Amazing Church which I found quite spiritual (I'm not particularly religious) .

Hubberholme in the Yorkshire Dales has a lovely Church opposite a lovely pub The George in a beautiful setting

My favourite church is my Parish Church of St.Mary's in Kidlington, which is a beautiful, ancient parish church and is the centre of the community. We hold concerts there and art exhibitions and at Christmas, we had a Christmas spectacular with animals (including a live camel)! The church was packed. It is busy every day of the week, with Mother and Toddler groups, Music groups, an Art group and there is a thriving choir and children's choir. There is also a traditional Village Fete held in the church grounds every year which is always very well-attended. The church is always packed on Sundays, so when I read reports of how churches are finding it hard to attract people to their services, I find it hard to believe. You just need a dynamic, forward-looking vicar and people who are willing to help out. My daughter was baptised at St.Mary's and my mother's funeral was held here and her ashes are buried in the cemetery behind the church. The church is open all day and every day for people to visit.
My other favourite church is the one in Wales where I was brought up and where I was confirmed and married. It, too, suffered a disastrous fire, but it was restored after several years. the outside is a beautiful, Norman church and the inside is modern, with different coloured ceilings and beautifully made pews and pulpit, with new stained glass windows. This church is the complete opposite of St. Mary's and no longer has a full-time vicar, as so few people attend the services. it is held back by a few elderly gentlemen, who do not want to move forward and attract more people. They are resistant to any kind of change and I can see the church being closed altogether if things don't change. These days a church has to be the hub of the community and organise events that everyone can go to. It involves extra work, but it is essential if people want to keep their church. I know about this, because my cousin attends regularly and she is in despair about the whole situation. I didn't mention that St.Mary's has a lady vicar and the elderly gentlemen at my previous church won't hear of having one, even though male vicars are in short supply.

One of my favourite is Liverpool's Metropolitan Cathedral or Paddy's Wigwam as it known by the locals! fascinating history and the Lutyens Crypt and Treasury is amazing, well worth a visit if you in Liverpool
www.liverpoolmetrocathedral.org.uk/

Also known as the Mersey Funnel!

Grandma70s I once spent ages in a church trying to rescue a huge bumble bee bashing itself against a window. I hope the organist wouldn't have minded me standing on his stool! I was so pleased to eventually let the bee out into the sunshine.

St. Martin's Church, Martindale above Ullswater in Cumbria is a little gem, very plain and simple. I remember it as a child and young adult when walking in the area. Hope it is still there as it is many years ago.

Snarford Church in Lincolnshire. Sometimes known as the Toothache tombs ,two of the effigies ,lie on their sides ,supporting their heads on their hands . It is very special.The keys can be obtained at any time from the nearby farm.

I am just down the road from the amazing Tudley church. The large window behind the altar was comissioned by a local landowning family whose daughter drowned in a sailing accident near Eastbourne. She and her mother had met Chagall at an exhibition of his work in Paris the year before. You can see the image of the daughter in the waves. Chagall so loved this tiny church that he went on to replace all the Windows. The colours are amazing. I love this church. When I was doing my degree one of my friends did her dissertation on the windows. The original Victorian Windows are found in the bell tower.

I also love the Chagall widows in Reims cathedral. The Notre Dame rose Windows are very special, so glad they appear to have survived. My mother also loved them. After she died whenever I was in Paris I would light a candle for her under one of them.

When I was young I was reluctantly dragged around just about every cathedral in France by my parents! I now really appreciate them.

Memorable ones are Chartres and a tiny little Romanesque church near St Nectaire. In our region the churches are very painted, the plaster is peeling badly but this adds to their charm. Most of all I love our local Chapelle de Ste Cecile, lovingly restored by the village, a tiny church in nearby Chalabre and the magnificent cathedral in Mirepoix.

I am a nonbeliever but fully acknowledge that without religion we would not have all these amazing buildings, artefacts, music, paintings and sculptures.

The Church in the highest Square in Altea,Parroquia De Nuestra Senora Del Consuelo ia magnificent,at the entrance through the huge doors you are meet by a small Spanish lady giving you a History fact sheet of the Church and the donation you give helps with the upkeep of the Church.
In Guadalest Valencia there is a small Church Our Lady of the Assumption less ornate in decoration but very very uplifting if you are lucky enough to visit it the simplicity is breathtaking.

I've never visited it but I've seen the most lovely pictures of a little church which is actually part of a shopping centre in Finland - Helsinki, I believe.
It has a simplicity and serenity which is beautiful.

I love the little Church of Ireland church at Saul in Co Down. It is built on what is thought to be the site of St Patrick's first church in Ireland. It is tiny and very simple which is one of the things I love. No grandeur, no gilt, no statues, just a peaceful place to pause and reflect.

st melangell mid wales, st Thomas mellor, both in rural areas the 'silence ' and 'presence' is overwhelming.

Montreal's Basilica(?) Notre Dame ,so beautiful !