![Panyer Alley site of St Michael-le-Querne](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Panyer_Alley_site_of_St_Michael-le-Querne.JPG)
St Michael-le-Querne, also called St Michael ad Bladum, was a parish
church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* C ...
in the Farringdon Within Ward in the
City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...
. It was destroyed in the Great Fire of London of 1666 and not rebuilt. The name is apparently a reference to a
quern-stone
Quern-stones are stone tools for hand- grinding a wide variety of materials. They are used in pairs. The lower stationary stone of early examples is called a saddle quern, while the upper mobile stone is called a muller, rubber or handstone. The ...
as there was a corn market in the churchyard.
History
The church stood immediately to the north east of Paternoster Row in
Farringdon Within Ward. Its dedication derives from a 12th-century reference to its proximity to a corn market.
[ It was in existence by 1181, when it was recorded in a survey of land and churches belonging to St Paul's Cathedral.] St Michael's was rebuilt in 1430, the City having given small strips of land on the north and east sides to allow for its enlargement, and "repaired and beautified" in 1617.[
The antiquarian John Leland, who died in 1552, was buried in the church.][
]
Destruction
Along with the majority of the parish churches in the City, St Michael-le-Querne was destroyed by the Great Fire in 1666. A Rebuilding Act was passed in 1670, and a committee set up under Sir Christopher Wren
Sir Christopher Wren PRS FRS (; – ) was one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history, as well as an anatomist, astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist. He was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 churches ...
, decided to rebuild 51 of the churches. St Michael's was not among them. Instead the parish was united with that of St Vedast Foster Lane. The site of the church was cleared to allow for the widening of Cheapside, although Richard Newcourt noted that "some small part of one Corner of the Steeple, was for Ornament and Uniformity, added to the Houses there built."[
]
References
Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Michael-Le-Querne
12th-century church buildings in England
1666 disestablishments in England
Churches destroyed in the Great Fire of London and not rebuilt
Churches in the City of London
Former buildings and structures in the City of London