History Blog

 RSS Feed

Category: Churches

  1. Advent Day 25 - St Paul Beyond the Walls

    Posted on

    I'll admit, this may be a little short because I'm writing it on the evening of Christmas Eve, unlike a lot of my earlier posts, which were drafted in November. It's also a little short because today is Christmas Day, and I doubt there are many of you who are reading it (if you are then thank you!)

    Today's church is St Paul Beyond the Walls in Rome. It was founded during the reign of Emperor Constantine I, who believed that the site was where St Paul had been buried after his martyrdom. It's outside of the city centre (we ended up having quite a long walk to get to it) and as a result, isn't a consideration for many tourists. But this church is really beautiful, and well worth a trip out from the usual Roman sites. 

  2. Advent Day 19 - Lincoln Cathedral

    Posted on

    If you visit the city of Lincoln, you won’t be able to miss the cathedral. Standing on top of a hill (the walk up to it is named “Steep Hill” – it’s not an exaggeration!) the cathedral dominates the skyline. The climb up the hill is well worth it though, as it brings you through little medieval streets in to a small square, and the cathedral itself with a medieval gate in front of it. 

  3. Advent Day 17 - Thriplow Church

    Posted on

    Thriplow church stands on a small hill overlooking the Cambridgeshire countryside, close to the site of a Bronze Age tumulus (burial mound). The current church dates from the 13th century, as records show it was “given” to Peterhouse (the earliest College in Cambridge) in 1284. However Thriplow has been in existence since before the Norman invasion, so the current building was probably erected in place of an earlier Anglo-Saxon church. The font is believed to date from the Norman period, and some pillars and windows also suggest Norman origins.