Saint Mark's English Church is an

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

church in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

, Italy. The church forms part of the chaplaincy of St Mark's Florence with Holy Cross

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

, in the

Diocese in Europe The Diocese in Europe (short form for the Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe) is a diocese of the Church of England. It was originally formed in 1842 as the Diocese of Gibraltar. It is geographically the largest diocese of the Church of England and th ...

of 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 ...

. The last permanent chaplain at St Mark's was Father William Lister, who retired at the end of 2020. The current chaplain is a

locum A locum, or locum tenens, is a person who temporarily fulfills the duties of another; the term is especially used for physicians or clergy. For example, a ''locum tenens physician'' is a physician who works in the place of the regular physician. ...

replacement. Prior to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

in 2020–2021, the average congregation was about 100. The church ministers to the homeless in Florence. It also has vibrant music and cultural programs, with annual resident choirmaster and organ master interns, who provide vocal and instrumental concerts and recitals with visiting musicians, along with sacred and devotional music at Sunday mass and evensong. The St Mark's Cultural Association offers a Book Club and Armchair Drama Club; Florence Writers offers discussions and workshop on writing, literature, and poetry. Opera at St Mark's has been offering opera performances by its resident opera company for more than ten years.

History

St Mark's was founded by the Reverend Charles Tooth as a centre of worship for

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 ...

members of the Anglican Church in Florence. He started a

house church A house church or home church is a label used to describe a group of Christians who regularly gather for worship in private homes. The group may be part of a larger Christian body, such as a parish, but some have been independent groups that see ...

at 1 Via dei Serragli in 1877 to teach Anglo-Catholic principles and celebrate the

Holy Eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an Ordinance (Christianity), ordinance in ot ...

daily during the week. In 1880, Tooth purchased a 15th-century

palazzo A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

to meet the new congregation's needs.

John Roddam Spencer Stanhope John Roddam Spencer Stanhope (20 January 1829 – 2 August 1908) was an English artist associated with Edward Burne-Jones and George Frederic Watts and often regarded as a second-wave pre-Raphaelite. His work is also studied within the context o ...

designed and created the wall and ceiling decorations at his own expense. The first Holy Eucharist was celebrated there on 1 May 1881, although chaplain and church were not licensed for service by the bishop until 1884. The premises were extended by the purchase of 16 Via Maggio in 1906. The church was damaged by the 1966 Flood of the Arno River, resulting in the loss of

George Frederick Bodley George Frederick Bodley (14 March 182721 October 1907) was an English Gothic Revival architect. He was a pupil of Sir George Gilbert Scott, and worked in partnership with Thomas Garner for much of his career. He was one of the founders of Watt ...

's 19th-century stencil work on the lower walls, although some survived behind a display cabinet. St. Mark's was the second Anglican church to be built in Florence. The British community in Florence has a long history and the chaplaincy began in the late 1820s. The first church, Holy Trinity, opened in the 1840s. Rebuilt in the 1890s, Trinity Church on the Via Lamarmara, is today a Waldensian Church.

Architecture

Exterior

The white marble statue in the niche over the main door is ''Apotheosis of Saint Mark'' (2007–8) by Jason Arkles. This is the first work by an American sculptor to have a permanent public location in Florence. It was commissioned by the then priest Fr Lawrence MacLean who worked closely with Arkles in this project. They had managed to find and use the same marble that the David had once been carved from.

Interior

The building was altered by Tooth, who turned the ground floor into a church with nave, aisles, transept and chancel, about long and seating 400. The interior is decorated in the

Pre-Raphaelite The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (later known as the Pre-Raphaelites) was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, James ...

style and the upper reaches of the church have floral motifs with, as described by art historian Berenice Schreiner, "a wonderful sense of naturalism".

Notes

References

Citations * * *

External links

* ** {{DEFAULTSORT:Florence, Marks English Church Marks English Church Churches completed in 1906 Anglican church buildings in Italy Pre-Raphaelite artworks Anglo-Catholic church buildings in Italy Diocese in Europe 1877 establishments in Italy