Church of St Mary, Lastingham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Church of St Mary, Lastingham |
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| St Mary's Church | |
Church of St Mary, Lastingham
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 Church of St Mary, Lastingham
Location in North Yorkshire
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| 54°18′16″N 0°52′57″W / 54.3045°N 0.8826°W | |
| OS grid reference | SE727904 |
| Location | Lastingham, North Yorkshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 654 |
| Founder(s) | St Cedd |
| Dedication | St Mary the Virgin |
| Past bishop(s) | St Cedd St Chad |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Norman Perpendicular |
| Years built | 1078–1086 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Lastingham |
| Benefice | Lastingham with Appleton-le-Moors and Rosedale |
| Deanery | Northern Ryedale |
| Archdeaconry | Cleveland |
| Diocese | York |
The Church of St Mary, Lastingham is an old and important church in the village of Lastingham, North Yorkshire, England. It's part of the Church of England. The church is about 4 miles north of Kirkbymoorside and 6 miles west of Pickering. It's also about 30 miles northeast of York.
The first church here was a Catholic monastery started in 654 AD. The church you see today was built much later, in the late 1000s. It became an Anglican church during the Reformation. Lastingham has always been a special place for Christians in Northern England. Many people visit it, especially to see its unique crypt, which is a rare underground room.
Contents
A Look at Lastingham's History
The First Monastery
A long time ago, in 654 AD, monks built a wooden monastery at a place called Lastingeau. This name meant "the home of Læ̃sta's people." A famous writer named Venerable Bede wrote about it. The land for the monastery was given by the King of Deira. The monks built their home in a quiet valley in the Yorkshire Moors.
St Cedd was the first leader, or abbot, of this monastery. He sadly died from the plague in 664 AD. At first, he was buried outside. Later, the monks built a church around his burial spot. Sadly, this first church was destroyed over the next 400 years, probably by Danish invaders.
St Cedd and St Chad
After St Cedd died, his brother, St Chad, became the abbot. But St Chad soon moved to Lichfield. Over time, many of St Cedd's things were moved to Lichfield too. Some of their bones are now in Birmingham's Catholic Cathedral. However, most people believe St Cedd is still buried at Lastingham.
Rebuilding the Church
The monastery was likely destroyed around 870 AD. But in 1078, William the Conqueror allowed a new church to be built. A group of Benedictine monks from Whitby started this new church under a leader named Stephen. They only stayed for ten years. They moved to York because the area was very remote and a bit wild.
This means the church was built quickly, in just ten years. You can see a lot of Romanesque architecture in the church today. It's quite rare to know the exact start and end dates for a church's construction! The church was originally Catholic. But it became part of the Church of England after the dissolution of the monasteries during the Reformation.
Amazing Architecture
How the Church Changed Over Time
In the 1200s, new parts like arches and aisles were added to the church. In the 1300s, the tower was built. For 500 years, not much changed. Then, in 1879, a famous architect named John Loughborough Pearson renovated it. He rebuilt the porch and put a new roof on the whole church.
Because of these changes, the church has a mix of styles. The walls of the aisles are Perpendicular, which is a later style. But the main part of the church, called the nave, and most of its foundations and crypt are Norman. This means they are from the earlier period. Experts like Nikolaus Pevsner have praised Pearson's work, saying it blended in very well. Some stone altars in the church might even date back to Roman times!
The Unique Crypt
Underneath St Mary's Church is a special underground room called the crypt. Its walls are 3 feet thick! It's believed to be the only crypt in England that has a nave, an apse (a rounded end), and side aisles, just like a church above ground. Some even say it's the oldest Norman crypt in the world with this design.
The crypt runs under the entire church above it. It has four pillars that are thought to be even older than the Norman church. Historians believe the crypt hasn't changed much since the time of William the Conqueror. You can get to the crypt by a staircase from the nave. It's a truly amazing part of the church's history.
What Experts Say
Because of its unique architecture and long history, St Mary's Church often appears on lists of England's best Anglican churches. Nikolaus Pevsner called the crypt "unforgettable." John Betjeman said St Mary's is "one of the most moving places in England." Simon Jenkins, in his book England's Thousand Best Churches, gave it four out of five stars. He wrote that while "most churches are a challenge to the faithful, Lastingham is a challenge to the faithless." Jenkins also noted that the church doesn't need many fancy decorations because its history and architecture are so powerful.
- Church of Saint Mary
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from the south
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nave
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font
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capitals in the crypt
The Church Community
The Church of St Mary has been the parish church for Lastingham since at least 1228. This means it serves the local community. The church was once given to St Mary's Abbey in York until 1299. The first vicar, or priest, for Lastingham is listed in 1314.
Today, the Lastingham church is part of a larger group called a benefice. This group includes four parishes and five churches. These are Christ Church, Appleton-le-Moors, St Gregory Cropton, St Chad Hutton-le-Hole, St Mary Lastingham, and St Mary & St Lawrence in Rosedale Abbey.
