St Martin's Church, Exeter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Martin's Church |
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| Location | Cathedral Close, Exeter, Devon, England |
| Built | 15th century |
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Listed Building – Grade I
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| Official name: Church of St Martin | |
| Designated | 29 January 1953 |
| Reference no. | 1169625 |
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St Martin's Church is a historic building located in Cathedral Close, Exeter, Devon, England. It was built a long time ago, in the 15th century. This church is very special because it's listed as a Grade I building by the National Heritage List for England. This means it's considered a really important historical site.
Today, St Martin's Church is a redundant church, which means it's not used for regular church services anymore. Instead, it's looked after by the Churches Conservation Trust. This group helps protect and preserve old churches like St Martin's so people can continue to visit and learn about them. The Trust started caring for this church on August 1, 1995.
Contents
What the Church is Made Of
St Martin's Church is built using a type of stone called Heavitree stone. Its roof is made of slate, which is a strong, flat rock often used for roofing.
Oldest Parts of the Church
Some parts of the church are even older than the 15th century. For example, the archway near where the altar is located, called the chancel arch, is thought to be the oldest section. It might even be from an earlier church that stood on the same spot. Records show that a church here was officially opened on July 6, 1065, by a person named Bishop Leofric.
You can also see hints of very old building styles, known as Anglo-Saxon "long-and-short work," high up in the north-east part of the main church area, called the nave. The church's tower was added much later, in 1675.
Inside St Martin's Church
When you go inside St Martin's Church, you'll find many interesting things from the 17th and 18th centuries.
Historical Decorations
- There are old monuments, which are like special memorials.
- You can see a reredos, which is a decorated screen behind the altar.
- There are also original altar rails.
Some of these beautiful pieces were actually moved here from another nearby church called St Paul's, which was taken down in 1936.
Stained Glass and Art
The south window of the church has a few small pieces of medieval stained glass. These are very old and colorful glass designs. At the west end of the church, there's a wooden gallery with painted designs. These designs include the symbols of Bishop Trelawny, who was a bishop from 1688 to 1707, and the City of Exeter. Both of these designs are placed on either side of the royal coat of arms, which is a symbol of the king or queen.
See Also
