St Mary de Crypt Church, Gloucester facts for kids

St Mary de Crypt.

A special carving of a lamb and flag above the door.

A cool semi-circular seat in the churchyard that shows Gloucester's history.

Pictures of John and Joan Cooke, who helped the church.

St Mary de Crypt Church is an old and important Anglican church in Gloucester, England. People first wrote about this church way back in 1140! It was known as The Church of the Blessed Mary within Southgate. You can find it right next to the old ruins of Greyfriars. This church is so special that it's listed as a Grade I listed building, which means it's a very important historical place.

A Look Back: History of St Mary de Crypt

This church has been a big part of Gloucester's story for hundreds of years. Let's explore some key moments!

Founding the Crypt School

In 1539, a lady named Joan Cooke used money from her husband, John, to start a school right next to the church. It was called The Crypt School. The original schoolroom is still there, even though the school itself has moved to a bigger place now. Both Mr. and Mrs. Cooke were buried in the church. You can even see special metal plaques, called brasses, that remember them.

A Church During Wartime

Imagine a church being used as a factory! In 1643, during a big fight called the First English Civil War, Gloucester was under attack. St Mary de Crypt Church was used to make and store ammunition. It was a very different role for a church!

Famous People Connected to the Church

Many important people have connections to St Mary de Crypt:

• In 1736, George Whitefield, one of the people who started the Methodism movement, gave his very first sermon here.
• Robert Raikes, who created the idea of Sunday Schools to help children learn, was buried under the South Chapel in 1811. He had also been baptised in the church in 1736.
• In 1836, a famous local person known as Jemmy Wood, The Gloucester Miser (meaning he was very careful with his money), was also buried here.

Restoration and Reopening

For a while, the church and its old schoolroom were not in good shape. But in 2019, after two years of hard work, they reopened! A big grant of £1.36 million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund helped pay for the repairs. Now, the buildings are used for church services, but also as a fun place for the community to gather and hold events.

Building Style: Architecture of the Church

St Mary de Crypt Church was first built in the 1100s. You can still see parts of the original Norman style from that time.

Special Carvings and Features

One really cool Norman feature is a well-preserved carving above the west door. It's called a tympanum. This carving shows the agnus dei, which means "lamb of God." It's a lamb with a flag, and it's a symbol of new life and hope.

Changes Over Time

The church was made bigger and rebuilt in the late 1300s, but it kept some of the older parts from the 1100s and 1200s. More work was done in the 1400s and 1500s. The "crypt" in the church's name refers to a special underground room at the front of the main part of the church, called the nave. The nave itself was built in the 1400s and has a beautiful Renaissance-style pulpit from the 1600s, where the priest gives sermons.

Images for kids

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  St Mary de Crypt.

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  A special carving of a lamb and flag above the door.

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  A cool semi-circular seat in the churchyard that shows Gloucester's history.

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  Pictures of John and Joan Cooke, who helped the church.