St Faith under St Paul's facts for kids

Parish boundary mark

St Faith under St Paul's was a special church area, called a parish, in the old part of London. It was quite unusual.

It first had its own building near St Paul's Cathedral. This church served people living nearby, especially in Paternoster Row. But in 1256, the church building was taken down. This was to make space for the Cathedral to get bigger. Instead, the people who went to St Faith's were given a place to worship inside the Cathedral's crypt. A crypt is an underground room, often found in churches.

Records from 1381 show it was called "St Faith within the monastery of St Paul's, London". For many years, the people worshipped in the west crypt, under the main part of St Paul's. Later, around the time of King Edward VI, they moved to a different part of the Cathedral called the Jesus Chapel. To keep their own space, they used a screen to separate their area. Many of these churchgoers were booksellers from Paternoster Row.

In 1666, the Great Fire of London destroyed the Cathedral. After this, the St Faith's parish joined with another nearby parish, St Augustine Watling Street.

People Buried at St Faith's

• Christopher Barker (officer of arms)
• Margaret Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury
• Dr. Richard Carr

Images for kids

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  The Church of St. Faith, located in the crypt of old St. Paul's Cathedral, as seen in a drawing by Wenceslaus Hollar.