St Stephen's Church, St Albans facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Stephen's Church, St Albans
St Stephen's Church, St Albans
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	Broad Church
Website	St Stephen's Church, St Albans
History
Dedication	St. Stephen
Administration
Parish	St Albans
Diocese	St Albans
Province	Canterbury

St Stephen's Church is a special old church in St Albans, England. It's part of the Church of England. You can find it on St Stephen's Hill, south of the town centre. This church is so important that it's called a Grade II* listed building. This means it's protected because of its history and beauty.

History of St Stephen's Church

Early Beginnings: The Anglo-Saxon Church

People believe St Stephen's Church was started around the year 948. An important leader named Abbot Ulsinus from St Albans Abbey might have founded it. The church was built to welcome pilgrims. These were people traveling to visit the shrine of Saint Alban at St Albans Abbey.

St Stephen's was one of three churches built around that time. The others were St Michael's and St Peter's. All three churches are still used today for Christian worship. They were placed on the main roads leading into St Albans.

The original Anglo-Saxon building was about 10 metres (34 feet) wide and 11.5 metres (38 feet) long. It probably had two rooms. It's thought that this early church did not have a tower. Not much of that first building remains today. However, a small, deep-set window near the Parish Centre door is from around 950 AD.

Changes Through the Centuries

About 50 years after the Norman Conquest in 1066, the church became bigger. This happened when Richard de Albini was the abbot. The new, larger building was officially opened between 1101 and 1118. A bishop named Gilbert from Limerick led the ceremony.

Around 1170, a north aisle was added to the church. An aisle is a long, narrow part of a church, usually next to the main area. This addition happened when Robert de Gorron was the abbot.

In the middle of the 1400s, many more changes were made. A bell tower was built over the western part of the south arcade. The walls of the main part of the church, called the nave, were made taller. New windows were put high up in these walls. These high windows are known as a "clerestory" and let in more light. The chancel, which is the area around the altar, was also made larger. The wooden arch leading into the chancel is from this time.

Victorian Restoration

Most of the church you see today is from the medieval period. However, it was in bad condition by the 1860s. A famous architect named George Gilbert Scott led a big project to fix it up. This was called a Victorian restoration. The tall, pointed roof on the tower, called a spire, was added during this time. It replaced an older, shorter type of spire.

St Stephen's Church is part of the Diocese of St Albans.

Church Design and Features

The church is built mostly from flint stones. It has stone and Roman brick details, and its roof is made of tiles. The church has a main area called a nave. It also has a south aisle and a chancel with a south chapel. There is a belfry (bell tower) over the west end of the nave.

The church has a set of bells. These bells were remade in 1957. They were made lighter because the older bells, from 1892, were too heavy for the bell frame.

Inside the church, the pews (benches) and fancy wooden decorations are from the Victorian period. The pulpit, where the priest gives sermons, and its canopy were added in 1936. The eagle lectern, a stand for reading, is a copy of a very old and famous one. The eight-sided font, used for baptisms, is from the 15th century. There is also a piscina from the 13th century, which is a basin used for washing sacred vessels.

Gallery

See also

• Saint Stephen
• St Stephen, Hertfordshire