St Giles Church, Durham facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Giles Church
St Giles Church, Durham
Location	Durham, County Durham
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Tradition	Central
Website	http://www.stgilesdurham.org.uk
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Years built	c.1112
Specifications
Number of towers	One
Administration
Diocese	Durham (since 1000)
Province	York

St. Giles Church is a very old and important church in Gilesgate, County Durham, England. It's so special that it's listed as a Grade I building. This means it's a building of exceptional historical interest.

A powerful leader named Bishop Ranulf Flambard started it in 1112. It was first built as a chapel for a hospital nearby, also called St. Giles.

The Church's Early Days

This church was built to be the chapel for the Hospital of St Giles. This hospital was located just outside the city walls of Durham. Bishop Flambard officially opened it in June 1112. He dedicated it to God and to a saint named Saint Giles.

Did you know that Godric of Finchale once worked here? He was a doorkeeper at St. Giles before he became a hermit. A hermit is someone who lives alone, often for religious reasons.

A Time of Trouble (1140)

In 1140, the church got involved in a big argument. This argument was about who should be the leader of the church in Durham. A man named William Cumin tried to take over this important role. He was the Chancellor for King David I of Scotland.

The real leader, William of St. Barbara, had to hide inside the church. He made the church stronger to protect himself from Cumin's men. In response, Cumin's men destroyed the hospital. The hospital was later rebuilt in a new place called Kepier.

Growing and Changing

In 1180, another important leader, Bishop Puiset, made the church bigger. He added the chancel, which is the part of the church where the altar is. This was because the area around the church was growing. The font, which is a basin used for baptisms, is thought to be from this time.

The church became connected to Kepier Hospital. The hospital acted as the "rector," which meant it received money from the church. It also had the right to choose the vicar, who was the priest for the local area.

More building and repair work happened in the 1200s and 1400s. John Heath, who owned the Kepier estates in the 1500s, is buried in the church.

Modern Changes and Restoration

In 1852, the area that St Giles Church served was divided. A new church, St Mary Magdalene, was built in Belmont. This new church served Belmont, Gilesgate Moor, and New Durham.

St Giles Church still has some parts from Bishop Flambard's original building. This includes most of the north wall. It also has many parts added by Bishop Puiset. In 1828, some small repairs were done. Three large windows were also put into the south wall.

The church was repaired and made bigger again between 1873 and 1876. This was because the number of people in the area kept growing. The church's organ was built in 1882 by a company called Harrison & Harrison.

War Memorial and Bells

The church has a special war memorial. It remembers the 67 people from the area who died or went missing in the First World War.

There are three bells in the church tower. They hang from a strong metal beam that was put in place in 1964. The old wooden frames for the bells are very old. They likely date back to the late Middle Ages or soon after.

The current vicar of St Giles is the Reverend Canon Dr Alan B. Bartlett. He has been the vicar since 2008. The Reverend Abbey Hughes is the curate, who helps the vicar.