Welcome to another episode of ChurchMapped and today we’re heading to a church as old as the hills. Well, not quite as old as the hills but getting there! That church is St. Etheldreda’s church in London, England. St. Etheldreda’s church is one of the oldest Catholic churches in England. Wait. . .wut? Yup, that’s right: one of the oldest, not the oldest, for those of you who are slightly more vigilant. It was indeed once the oldest in England, until 1971 when the church of Saints Leonard and Mary in Malton, North Yorkshire – which is in northern England or “up north” as is said among locals in England - was given to Catholics as a gesture of kindness. Nevertheless, it’s considerably older than some other churches in London, such as St. Peter’s Italian Church – do check our travel guide for that to see how immigrants from Italy, Poland and Ireland made their way in 19th century Britain. St Etheldreda’s church is a rather interesting church because it seems to summarise everything about English history. Where else can you get one video that talks about an Anglo-Saxon, the Peasants’ Revolt, King Henry VII, King Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon, William Shakespeare, Queen Elizabeth I, Mary I, James I, the Great Fire of London….ok, I’m officially out of breath, but hopefully you get the point: there is a lot, and I do mean a lot, of history that is jampacked into St. Etheldreda’s church. But if St. Etheldreda’s church is called St. Etheldreda’s church, who exactly is or was St. Etheldreda? She is commemorated throughout the church – obviously – and is seen here in the form of a statue. St. Etheldreda was an Anglo-Saxon woman born in AD 630 who was also a princess too. She was the daughter of King Anna and was a member of the ruling family of the Kingdom of East Anglia. Remember, at this time, the Kingdom of East Anglia was distinct from the Kingdom of England. It is a kingdom of historical significance because, among other things, East Anglia is deemed by some as the area where the English language was first spoken. The kingdom didn’t last long however, and it was later absorbed into the Kingdom of England in the 10th century. But we’ll leave the history of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms for another day. Speaking of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, did you know the Kingdom of East Anglia experienced attacks from the Vikings? And in the context of churches, who do the Vikings remind you of? Yup, that’s right: the Vikings in American football in Minnesota, United States. Be sure to check our travel guide out on the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, Minnesota. Don’t forget to also give churchmapped.com a visit too. ChurchMapped is a travel website and social network that specialises in churches around the world. We also create amazing travel guides about churches around the world for you to explore – whether it be Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, Germany, Westminster Cathedral in London, England or somewhere else – we’ve got it covered. Do be sure to visit the website for more information as well as updates as to when we fully launch. Now back to St. Etheldreda! St. Etheldreda originally wanted to be a nun, but for political reasons became married to the young king of Northumbria, Egfrith in AD 660. This wasn’t her first marriage, actually. She was earlier married to a man of high status called Tondberht, but unfortunately he died in approximately the year AD 655. He is described in Venerable Bede’s book History of the English People. If you’re curious about why Bede is called “Venerable” be sure to head over to our travel guide of St Aloysius Church in London, England where we explain it. In her first marriage, she was a virgin throughout. In her second marriage, she expressed a desire to also be a virgin throughout. However, at some point, Egfrith demanded she drop her lifestyle. After being advised by Wilfred, Bishop of Northumbria, she refused, despite the many bribes of Egfrith. A bit like many relationships today where cleaning the dishes is used as a bribe, eh? St. Etheldreda later ditched him and became a nun at Coldingham under her aunt Ebbe and then founded a monastery in Ely in AD 673. Remember when we said that the Kingdom of East Anglia experienced many attacks? Well, one such attack was done by the pagan king of the Mercians – his name being Penda – who was reported to have destroyed a church at Ely. St. Etheldreda helped restore it. St. Etheldreda also helped build Ely Cathedral, which is a huge tourist attraction to the area. St. Etheldreda died around the year 680 AD from what was most likely the plague which also killed other nuns. However, rumour has it the tumour on her neck was punishment from God for her vanity in wearing necklaces when she was younger. Hmmmm…. Regardless of how she died, the impact she left on England was substantial. Many asked for her intercession in Heaven. Among Catholics, it is believed that “saints” are holy people in Heaven you can ask for special requests. By virtue of being in Heaven, they are closer to God, and so the likelihood of having your request answered is all the more likely...whether it be asking for relief from cold, more patience, or even winning the lottery saints are your go to people. St. Etheldreda, because of her commitment to remaining a virgin, was a particular go-to person for the gift of chastity. With St. Etheldreda out of the way, let’s take a look at the church in London that bears her name. Despite its historical significance, St. Etheldreda’s church is tucked away vis-a-vis the other surrounding areas in London. In fact, it’s very easy to miss. There is kind of a reason for that. What happened historically is that the place where St. Etheldreda’s church sits is known as Ely Place. This particular estate wasn’t originally part of London – though it was geographically in London...get it? -, but Cambridgeshire. Remember when I said earlier that the Kingdom of East Anglia was a powerful kingdom? Well, one of the kingdom’s legacies was the fact that the Bishops of Ely were quite influential. They had to come from Cambridgeshire all the way to London because Parliament had been called. It just so happened that a member of the diocese bought a property there in the 13th century. It was originally envisaged the property would be a little property but it wound up being a great palace to accommodate the bishops. St. Etheldreda’s church itself was built by John de Kirkeby in 1290. He also helped build Ely Palace and was a treasurer under King Edward I. However, John de Kirkeby died and left the church to those who would succeed him. Funnily enough, the entire estate was outside the jurisdiction of the City of London. London is a peculiar place because there is a difference between “London” and the “City of London”, and now, it turns out, a part of London belonged to a different part of England entirely. Talk about mind-boggling! The estate grew and grew in the 14th century, with gardens, vineyards and more, and amounted to around 58 acres at its zenith. If you take a close look throughout St. Etheldreda’s church, you can see the various bishops of Ely commemorated here. The church commemorates Simon Langham, who was Abbot of Westminster and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Arundel, who was also Archbishop of Canterbury. It’s hard to believe this small church tucked away in London is filled with so much history. And as it turns out, we aren’t even close to finishing yet. Oh no. St. Etheldreda’s church is one of a handful of buildings in London that can trace its origin to the reign of King Edward I. If you’re an American tourist with a fascination for the Royalty, St. Etheldreda’s church is a church you absolutely must see in London. But just as fascinating as the history of St. Etheldreda’s church might be, its history is also fairly tumultuous. Its tumultuous history can be said to start with the Peasants’ Revolt in 1381. This is a significant event in English history. Ever heard of the phrase: “The rent is too damn high” Well, the Peasants’ Revolt was a bit like that, only that the cause for the protest was over tax rather than rent. It was led by a man by the name of Wat Tyler, so much so the Peasants’ Revolt is sometimes called “Wat Tyler’s Revolt”. During the Revolt, the protesters caused so much damage that King Edward’s son John of Gaunt was forced to flee to Ely Palace after his own Savoy Palace was destroyed during the Revolt. In fact, so historic is this that it’s referenced in William Shakespeare’s Richard II. In it, John of Gaunt says: “This royal throne of kings, this sceptered isle, This Earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, this other Eden, demi-Paradise, This fortress built by Nature for herself Against Infection and the hand of war, This blessed plot, this Earth, this realm, this England.” The estate also features in another of William Shakespeare’s writings, namely, Richard III. In it, it’s noted that the gardens of St. Etheldreda’s produces some of the greatest strawberries in the country. In particular, the Duke of Gloucester says to the Bishops of Ely, “When I was last in Holborn, I saw good strawberries in your garden there, I do beseech you send for some of them”. So in addition to the great number of historic figures associated with St. Etheldreda’s church, we can add William Shakespeare to the mix! Yet. . .there’s more. By virtue of being such an old church, St. Etheldreda’s church was affected by the English Reformation like many other churches. We spoke about how King Henry VIII, who instigated the English Reformation in the 16th century in our travel guide of Westminster Cathedral do of course check it out, ensured that priests who refused to accept him as the Supreme Head of the Church of England were hunted down and killed. Well, it just so happens that King Henry VIII together with his first wife Catherine of Aragon were guests at Ely Palace in 1531 and it was apparent there that the two were drifting apart. Nicholas West, who was Bishop of Ely at the time, was holding a feast at Ely Palace. However, both King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon dined in separate rooms. King Henry VIII, as many children in England today know because of their history lessons, wanted to divorce Catherine of Aragon because she couldn’t seem to have a son who would inherit the throne. He was ticked off – to put it mildly – and sought to divorce her. However, the Pope (Clement VII) was reluctant to give this. So King Henry VIII decided to split from Rome, declare himself head of the Church of England and marry Anne Boelyn with the help of Thomas Cranmer. Crafty. As many children in England today know because of their history lessons at school, the events following the split from Rome were bloody. Monasteries were dissolved, priests killed, and so forth. Two men were opposed to the divorce: Nicholas West, who was Bishop of Ely, as well as St. John Fisher. They were marked men. However, Nicholas West died before King Henry VIII could get to him. That left St. John Fisher. He was sent to the Tower of London on April 26th 1534 after refusing to recognise King Henry VIII as Supreme Head of the Church in England. Catholics believe that the pope, and not a king, is the visible head of the Church; therefore, to admit that King Henry VIII was the Supreme Head of the Church of England would be to go against their core beliefs. He was later killed by beheading in 1535 after the relatively new pope - Pope Paul III - requested that St John Fisher be made cardinal priest of San Vitale. St John Fisher was actually initially scheduled to be hung, drawn and quartered, a bit like St. John Southworth who we spoke about in our travel guide of Westminster Cathedral. However, much of the public at the time could see parallels between St. John Fisher and St. John the Baptist. Here’s an overview of the similarities: 1. Both are named John 2. St John the Baptist opposed the marriage of Herod Antipas. St. John Fisher opposed the marriage of King Henry VIII. 3. St John the Baptist’s feast day – the day the Church celebrates him - is June 24th. St John Fisher was also killed, on June 22nd, which is just 2 days from St John the Baptist’s feast day. Coincidentally, St John Fisher also shares his feast day with St Alban, the first man killed in England for his Christian faith. And the coincidences don’t end there either: his friend, St Thomas More, who we spoke about in some of our previous travel guides such as Guardian Angels Church in London as well as the Church of Saint Anselm and St Cecilia, also shares his feast day. St Thomas More was killed not too long after St John Fisher. As you can see, the first half of 16th century Britain was exceedingly bloody, and whilst the history of St. Etheldreda’s church is comprised of some of England’s glorious days, it also consists of some of the country’s bloodiest days too. All of this, despite being tucked away in London. As you enter the church, you will see this big window, which was given by the German, Italian and French embassies to commemorate the English martyrs. At the top you will see the arms of Pope John XXIII (23rd); on the left hand side you will see the coat of arms of the present Spanish Ambassador to the UK, and on the right hand side you will see the coat of arms of a Spanish ambassador from the 1620s called Diego Sarmiento de Acuña, 1st Count of Gondomar, and the window commemorates a play marking the Passion of Christ during the time he was Ambassador. This window also commemorates the monks who were also selected to be killed for refusing to acknowledge that King Henry VIII was the Supreme Head of the Church of England. As you can see, the kill count of King Henry VIII was. . .well, astonishing. The monks belonged to an order known as the Carthusians. We spoke about religious orders in our travel guide of Farm Street Church, which is also in London. Do check it out! John Houghton was the Prior of the Carthusians at Beauvale Priory at the time – a bit like the leader of the religious order for lack of a better word – and he had tremendous concern about the fate of Carthusians in London given King Henry VIII’s insistence that the population accept him as the Supreme Head of the Church of England. Houghton, together with fellow Carthusian priests Robert Lawrence and Augustine Webster, made their way down to Westminster Hall to speak to Thomas Cromwell, who was King Henry VIII’s Chief Secretary. And yes, before you ask, Thomas Cromwell is related to the famous Oliver Cromwell, albeit somewhat distant. But back to the point, Thomas Cromwell had Houghton and his two fellow priests arrested. They were then taken to the Tower and were asked why they couldn’t accept King Henry VIII as the Supreme Head of the Church of England. But they made it clear that King Henry VIII isn’t the Supreme Head of the Church of England. Because of this, they were charged with treason and subsequently killed. As they were being taken to Tyburn where they were due to be killed, Thomas More famously said to his daughter Margaret, “Look, do you see Meg, that these Blessed Fathers are now going to their deaths as cheerfully as bridegrooms to their marriage”. And it is really those words that help put a positive gloss over what is a tremendously sad and bloody history behind St. Etheldreda’s Church. If you look closely at the stained glass, you will see that the Carthusians were still dressed in their religious habits, or uniform. We gave an explanation of religious habits in our travel guide of Farm Street Church. It should be mentioned here that being killed in a religious habit was something previously unheard of in England. King Henry VIII ultimately died in 1547. Before we move on to the next part of our travel guide of St Etheldreda’s Church, you might be wondering who we are? ChurchMapped is an upcoming travel website and social network due to launch shortly. We specialise in churches around the world, offering you the best churches to see on your next holiday, pilgrimage or even wedding. We also have a games, dating, jobs search and music service too. Just be sure to subscribe to us on YouTube, give us a ‘like’ on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. You know you want to! Now back to where we were. . . The country had now shifted from Catholicism and King Henry VIII got his newly found religion. Well, King Henry VIII insisted that he always was Catholic – he just had issues with the pope – but we’ll let you be the judge of that. The Mass was ended and was replaced with what is known as the Book of Common Prayer. Before dying, King Henry VIII did manage to get a son – finally. His name was Edward VI of England. He was the son of King Henry VIII and his third wife, Jane Seymour. Edward VI became king upon the death of his father in 1547 at the tender age of 9. He was the first to king to be Protestant and he made sweeping changes that went even further than King Henry VIII did, such as abolishing the Mass and requiring all services to be held in English. It was under this that St Etheldreda’s church then changed from its Catholic roots. But King Edward VI didn’t live long either; he died at the age of 15. Before dying, he named one of his cousins, Lady Jane Grey, as his heir. But this was later disputed, and the crown went to Mary I. For this reason, Lady Jane Grey is sometimes known as the “Nine Days Queen” - she only reigned for nine days, perhaps the shortest time ever in English history. So Mary I is now the reigning monarch and she sought to do everything in her power to return England back to Catholicism. She had Thomas Cranmer burned to death at Oxford as well as others; she later came to be remembered as “Bloody Mary”. She also restored the Mass at St Etheldreda’s church. However, her reign was relatively short-lived, lasting only five years. Prior to her death, she requested that royal inquisitors check to see if her half-sister, Elizabeth I, was Catholic. Elizabeth I said she was, and the crown eventually passed to her. However, this was a futile exercise, as Elizabeth I again put England on the path of becoming Protestant and had the Mass destroyed. To even hear Mass became a hanging offence and priests who celebrated the Mass became hunted men. This explains the situation of St John Southworth over at Westminster Cathedral – do check our travel guide out! It also explains the situation of many of the individuals seen here throughout the church. Let’s go through some of them. Here is Blessed John Roche. He was hanged in 1588 at Tyburn for aiding a priest. Remember, during this time period in England, you could be killed if you were a Catholic priest or found helping a Catholic priest. Here is St Anne Line. She was hanged at Tyburn as well in 1601 for aiding a priest. Interestingly enough, there is an opinion among researchers that William Shakespeare alludes to her in his writings. I told you this church has history. Here is Fr. John Forest. He was a Franciscan friar. He was killed in 1538 for refusing to acknowledge King Henry VIII as the Supreme Head of the Church of England. Here is Edward Jones. He was a convert to Catholicism and became a priest. He was from Wales. Speaking of Wales, do check our upcoming travel guide of Cardiff Cathedral in Cardiff, Wales. He was killed for being a priest. Here is John Houghton, who we spoke about earlier. There are others commemorated in the church as well, such as Margaret Ward, Swithin Wells and Edmund Gennings. When the Spanish ambassador, Diego Sarmiento de Acuña, moved into Ely Place in 1620, Mass was allowed to be said once again at St Etheldreda’s Church. If you remember from our previous travel guide of the Church of St Anselm and St Cecilia in London, England – do check it out! - although the celebration of Mass was severely restricted in England following the Reformation, there was one place where this restriction was lifted – embassies. The rationale behind this is that the embassy represented its country and was therefore subject to different rules. As a result of this, Catholics in England often used this opportunity to hear Mass. However, this liberty was not long-lived. Things, well, broke down between King James I – the later monarch - and Spain, and St Etheldreda’s church was banned from celebrating Masses. In 1642, which is an important year as the Civil War took place, Parliament took over the chapel and turned it into both a prison and a hospital. In 1666, one of the most famous events in both London and England’s history happened: the Great Fire of London. This fire burned everything in its path. There were no firefighters at this time, so it was particularly destructive. However, and miraculously, just as the fire was about to reach St Etheldreda’s church, it changed path. Talk about good fortune! Had the fire reached St Etheldreda’s, it’s almost certain the church wouldn’t be here today. Over time, the Bishops of Ely let the Palace fall into disrepair. In 1772, Parliament passed a law allowing the Bishop of Ely to sell the Palace to the Crown. This happened, and the Crown then sold the Palace on to a certain Charles Cole. He is credited with building the modern Ely Place as we know it today. However, due to financial reasons, the church was later closed. Before we move on to the final part of our travel guide of St Etheldreda’s church, it might be worth giving ChurchMapped.com a visit. We’re an upcoming travel website and social network with a specialisation in churches right across the world. We also offer a games, jobs, music and dating service too. Speaking of dating, here at ChurchMapped we know just how difficult it can be to find the love of your life. That’s why we’re creating a platform that utilises state-of-the-art techniques to get you the person of your dreams. Give us a visit on www.churchmapped.com/dating.html for more information. Now back to where we were! One of the landmark events in 19th century England was the Catholic Emancipation Act in 1829. This gave Catholics in England some degree of religious liberty – though persecution was still rampant. One of the consequences of the Act was that Catholics were allowed to have Masses again and to have churches. Around the 19th century too, this part of London came to be known for its poverty. So much so that the famed writer Charles Dickens mentions it in his books. See, yet another famous person! The list goes on! In 1873, a priest by the name of Fr Lockhart grew concerned that St Etheldreda’s church was about to be sold off by auction. He entered into a bidding war with the Welsh Episcopalians who were supported by a steel company. By chance, Fr Lockhart won the bidding war and the church came into Catholic hands once again. If you have watched our previous travel guides, this story will remind you very much of Guardian Angels Church in London, England. There, too, a bit of luck came into the priest’s favour. Fr Lockhart exerted enormous effort in getting a funding appeal underway for the restoration of St Etheldreda’s church – remember, it had been left into a state of disrepair for a while. Fr Lockhart also decided to repair the Crypt. Let’s take a look around it. Today, the Crypt is used for various functions. Interestingly, as Fr Lockhart repaired the Crypt, a group of bodies were discovered buried underneath. They were the victims of a little known historical event in London known as the Fatal Vespers of 1623. Let’s take a brief segue before heading back to St. Etheldreda’s church . Vesper is the Latin word for “evening”. Churches often use it to describe the prayers made during the evening. The Fatal Vespers of 1623 was an event on the 5th November or 26th October - depending on whether you were Catholic or Anglican – yes, they used different calendars at this time – that saw at least 300 people die in London, one of the worst tragedies from the period up until the present day in London. A certain Robert Drury, a Jesuit, was preaching at the French ambassador’s house in Blackfriars. Catholics in London were excited to hear him speak – a bit like how people today react to a seeing a celebrity – but as they all gathered into the building the floor gave way and all died. It is believed that at least one of the bodies found in the Crypt was a priest. Ok, another segue. In Christianity, and for that matter other religions too, people are traditionally buried facing the east. In Christianity this is believed to be because at the Second Coming of Christ, He will come from the east. But whilst this is true for ordinary people like Joe Blow on the street, it is not true for priests. Priests are traditionally buried facing the West, as this is how they ministered to their people. It’s thought that because one of the bodies was found facing West, he must be a priest. A bit of a detour but cool to know! Ok, one more detour – I promise last one! Fr Lockhart was good friends with Henry Newman, who would later become Cardinal. As a matter of fact, it was because of Fr Lockhart’s conversion to Catholicism – he wasn’t always Catholic – that Henry Newman thought he should be too! Ok, now back to St. Etheldreda’s church. Mass was celebrated at St Etheldreda’s for the first time in about 200 years on June 23rd 1878, and it still remains a Catholic place of worship today. In the 20th century and during the First World War, American servicemen had a special fondness of St Etheldreda’s church because it strongly influenced the Chapel of the Most Holy Trinity (West Point). So if you are an American thinking of visiting London, England, be sure to see St Etheldreda’s church. Information on how to get there can be found over at www.churchmapped.com when we fully launch. Phew! That’s it for this episode of ChurchMapped. In our future travel guides, we’ll be heading over to some amazing churches around the world such as the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis, United States as well as St James’ Church (Spanish Place) in London, England. Be sure to subscribe to us here on YouTube, give us a ‘like’ on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for all the updates regarding our official launch date. Until next time!