Christ Church, also known as Christ Church New Haven, is an Episcopal parish church at 70 Broadway in

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. Christ Church follows an

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholic heritage and identity of the various Anglican churches. The term was coined in the early 19th century, although movements emphasising the Catholic nature of Anglican ...

style of worship and has a strong focus on urban ministry. The parish began as an offshoot from New Haven's Trinity Church, the central Episcopal church on New Haven's town green. The church building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2009.

History

The church building, completed in 1898, was designed by architect

Henry Vaughan Henry Vaughan (17 April 1621 – 23 April 1695) was a Welsh metaphysical poet, author and translator writing in English, and a medical physician. His religious poetry appeared in ''Silex Scintillans'' in 1650, with a second part in 1655.''Oxfo ...

. It is notable for its very fine

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It e ...

, and its central location near downtown New Haven makes it something of a landmark. Its stone tower is modeled on the tower of

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the s ...

. Vaughn personally chose the artists who created the beautiful interior. Bavarian-born

Johannes Kirchmayer Johannes Kirchmayer also known as John Kirchmayer (March 31, 1860 – November 29, 1930) was one of the leading woodcarvers in the United States, active primarily in the Boston area. Kirchmayer was born in Oberammergau, Bavaria. After learn ...

executed the intricate wood carving, notable in particular on the

rood screen The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or ...

. The stained glass windows (including a large window at the back of the sanctuary above the

baptismal font A baptismal font is an article of church furniture used for baptism. Aspersion and affusion fonts The fonts of many Christian denominations are for baptisms using a non-immersive method, such as aspersion (sprinkling) or affusion (pouring). ...

) were created by the noted firm of C.E. Kempe in London. The high altar also features monmunental stone figures and a carved Caen stone

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular architecture, for ex ...

inspired by examples in

Winchester Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity,Historic England. "Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity (1095509)". ''National Heritage List for England''. Retrieved 8 September 2014. Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun, commonly known as Winches ...

and St. Alban's in England. The church's

Solemn High Mass Solemn Mass ( la, missa solemnis) is the full ceremonial form of a Mass, predominantly associated with the Tridentine Mass where it is celebrated by a priest with a deacon and a subdeacon,"The essence of high Mass is not the music but the deacon ...

(11:00am Sundays) is locally notable for its fine choral music and beautiful liturgy.

Compline Compline ( ), also known as Complin, Night Prayer, or the Prayers at the End of the Day, is the final prayer service (or office) of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours, which are prayed at fixed prayer times. The English wo ...

, sung at 9:00pm September–May, draws a large crowd of both young and old from the city of New Haven and surrounding communities as well as from nearby

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

. Christ Church also houses the headquarters of the North American branch of the

Society of Catholic Priests The Society of Catholic Priests (SCP) is a religious society of clergy in the Anglican Communion which draws its membership from Anglicans who consider themselves a part of the liberal Anglo-Catholic tradition. Founding and early history The so ...

, a society of clergy in the mainstream of the Episcopal Church who practice the

tradition A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

References

External links

The Website of Christ Church, New HavenHistorical resources on Christ Church, New Haven
from

Project Canterbury Project Canterbury (sometimes abbreviated as PC) is an online archive of material related to the history of Anglicanism. It was founded by Richard Mammana, Jr. in 1999 with a grant from Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold, and is ho ...

{{Authority control 19th-century Episcopal church buildings 20th-century Episcopal church buildings Anglo-Catholic church buildings in the United States Churches completed in 1898 Churches in New Haven, Connecticut Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut Episcopal church buildings in Connecticut Gothic Revival church buildings in Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in New Haven, Connecticut Religious organizations established in 1854 1854 establishments in Connecticut

History

See also

References

External links