St Mary of Charity, Faversham Parish Church is the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

parish church of the town of

Faversham Faversham is a market town in Kent, England, from London and from Canterbury, next to the Swale, a strip of sea separating mainland Kent from the Isle of Sheppey in the Thames Estuary. It is close to the A2, which follows an ancient British t ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

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 b ...

. The church spire dominates the town's skyline and is visible from some distance.

History and description

The church is all that remains of a previously much larger religious community around

Faversham Abbey Faversham Abbey was a Cluniac style monastery immediately to the north-east of the town of Faversham, in north Kent, England. History It was founded by King Stephen and his wife Matilda of Boulogne in 1148. A party of monks from Bermondsey Ab ...

which was established in 1147 by King Stephen and dissolved by

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

. Although the church itself was founded in the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

era, the flying spire, known as a crown or corona spire, by which it is recognised dates to the 18th century - a period of prosperity for the town of Faversham. The church itself is much larger than might be expected and is reputed to be the second largest in

, after

All Saints Church, Maidstone All Saints is a parish church in Maidstone, Kent. It is a Grade I listed building, and has been described as the grandest Perpendicular style church in Kent. Establishment and dissolution Founded by Archbishop of Canterbury William Courtenay i ...

. This gives the church a distinctive acoustic and, unusually among parish churches, makes it large enough to hold a symphony orchestra for concerts. The interior was

restored ''Restored'' is the fourth studio album by American contemporary Christian music musician Jeremy Camp. It was released on November 16, 2004 by BEC Recordings. Track listing Standard release Enhanced edition Deluxe gold edition Standard ...

and transformed by Sir

George Gilbert Scott Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he started ...

, known for his

St Pancras Station St Pancras railway station (), also known as London St Pancras or St Pancras International and officially since 2007 as London St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus on Euston Road in the London Borough of Camden. It is ...

, the

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * Unit ...

and many college and cathedral buildings, in 1874. Painted pillar, Faversham

Notable features of the church include the reputed tomb of King Stephen (the church is thus one of only a few churches outside London where an English king was interred), nationally important

misericords A misericord (sometimes named mercy seat, like the biblical object) is a small wooden structure formed on the underside of a folding seat in a church which, when the seat is folded up, is intended to act as a shelf to support a person in a par ...

in the Quire, a rare medieval painted pillar and a recently installed altar dedicated to Saints

Crispin Saints Crispin and Crispinian are the Christian patron saints of cobblers, curriers, tanners, and leather workers. They were beheaded during the reign of Diocletian; the date of their execution is given as 25 October 285 or 286. History Bor ...

and Crispinian. Its clock was built by James William Benson. In 1950 it was listed

Grade I In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

by English Heritage. ;Music The church supports a strong choral tradition with a choir of adults and children who sing Anglican Matins, Evensong and Communion. The current Director of Music is Ben Saul. The choir is affiliated with the

RSCM The Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) is a Christian music education organisation dedicated to the promotion of music in Christian worship, in particular the repertoire and traditions of Anglican church music, largely through publications, ...

and currently has three singers who hold the highest RSCM award, the Gold Award.

References

*James, H.A. Faversham Parish Church, 1990:p. 1 (f. before 1070) p. 69 (Faversham Church) *The misericords, c2004:t.p. (The Parish Church of St. Mary of Charity, Faversham)

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Faversham Church of England church buildings in Kent Diocese of Canterbury Churches in Faversham