Convocation House 2, Bodleian Library, Oxford, UK - Diliff

Convocation House from adjacent the Sheldonian

Convocation House is the lower floor of the 1634–1637 westward addition to the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the sec ...

and

Divinity School A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. It adjoins the

, which pre-dates it by just over two hundred years, and the

Sheldonian Theatre Sheldonian Theatre, located in Oxford, England, was built from 1664 to 1669 after a design by Christopher Wren for the University of Oxford. The building is named after Gilbert Sheldon, chancellor of the University at the time and the project's ...

, to its immediate north.

History

Seventeenth-century origins

The entire westward section was originally known as Selden End, in recognition of the gift of books from the lawyer

John Selden John Selden (16 December 1584 – 30 November 1654) was an English jurist, a scholar of England's ancient laws and constitution and scholar of Jewish law. He was known as a polymath; John Milton hailed Selden in 1644 as "the chief of learned ...

which occupy the portion of the Bodleian Library housed above. In 1665 and 1681, during the reign of Charles II, the chamber served as home for the Royalist Members of the

English Parliament The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advised t ...

. Its present stone-vaulted ceiling dates from 1758 to 1759.

Present

Convocation House is used for meetings of the University of Oxford's

Convocation A convocation (from the Latin '' convocare'' meaning "to call/come together", a translation of the Greek ἐκκλησία ''ekklēsia'') is a group of people formally assembled for a special purpose, mostly ecclesiastical or academic. In a ...

, but may be hired as a venue for civil weddings and partnership ceremonies, for which it, like the Divinity School and Chancellor's Court, is licensed, renewal of vows, wedding blessings, wedding receptions, and conferences.

References

1634 establishments in England Bodleian Library Buildings and structures completed in 1637 Buildings and structures of the University of Oxford History of the University of Oxford Tourist attractions in Oxford {{Oxfordshire-struct-stub