As you could imagine, Cambridge is lousy with chapels and churches. I know many people that get bored very quickly with seeing churches, but I could visit every church I come across and be quite the happy historian. (I would love a map of just the churches in Cambridge. If that doesn’t exist, you will know what my next project is…) And the Round Church in Cambridge is quite a unique church to the rest you will find in the town, and is actually a rare occurrence in general. So, what makes the Round Church so special?
Although everyone seems to know it as the Round Church, technically it is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It was inspired by the rotunda of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, and is a fairly unique design. It is only one of four medieval round churches left, with the others in London, Northampton, and Little Maplestead.
After visiting the Chapel at King’s College, and seeing about ten other churches in Cambridge, the Round Church certainly stands out. Although cathedrals are usually my favourite places to visit, there is something about a smaller, simpler church that can much just as much of an impact. Also, as a medieval historian, I’m quite happy to know that the Round Church has a scriptorium that serves as a study centre for Cambridge graduates and faculty. Medieval churches were centres for scholarship, and it is lovely to see the practice has been resurrected!
The Round Church is the second oldest building in Cambridge (with St. Bene’t’s Church being the oldest), and impressively is still quite solidly standing. Sadly, we didn’t have time to pop in but of course I had to do my readings. What is most interesting to me now is that the parish actually outgrew the church in the mid-1990s and has now moved to the Church of St. Andrew the Great.
Have you seen the Round Church in Cambridge?
Cheers,
The Historian
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Bloglovin’
