St Sampson's Church is a former parish church in the city centre of

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

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 ...

. It lies on Church Street, near

St Sampson's Square St Sampson's Square is an open space, and former marketplace, in the city centre of York, England. History In the 12th-century, the area now occupied by the square was known as Arkilltofts, possibly named after Arnketil, a leading figure in t ...

. The church sits across the line of the wall of Roman

Eboracum Eboracum () was a fort and later a city in the Roman province of Britannia. In its prime it was the largest town in northern Britain and a provincial capital. The site remained occupied after the decline of the Western Roman Empire and ultimate ...

, and the first church on the site was probably built before the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...

, as a fragment of an early 11th-century cross has been found in the wall of a house on

Newgate Newgate was one of the historic seven gates of the London Wall around the City of London and one of the six which date back to Roman times. Newgate lay on the west side of the wall and the road issuing from it headed over the River Fleet to Mid ...

, within the former churchyard. Foundations of a Norman wall have also been discovered underneath the present church. The church was first recorded in 1154, and from 1394 the

advowson Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, ...

belonged to the

Vicars Choral A lay clerk, also known as a lay vicar, song man or a vicar choral, is a professional adult singer in an Anglican cathedral and often Roman Catholic Cathedrals in the UK, or (occasionally) collegiate choir in Britain and Ireland. The vicars chora ...

York Minster The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is the cathedral of York, North Yorkshire, England, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The minster is the seat of the Archbis ...

. It is dedicated to Saint Sampson of York, the only church in England with this dedication. The church was gradually rebuilt in the 15th century, the south aisle being rebuilt in the 1400s, and the north aisle dating in the 1440s, while the west tower was rebuilt in the 1480s. In the 1549, there was a plan to merge the parish with that of St Helen, Stonegate, and although this did not happen, St Sampson did gain two bells from St Helen. In 1644, the tower was damaged during the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

, and the Parliamentarian troops subsequently destroyed most of the monuments in the church. Between 1845 and 1848, most of the church was rebuilt by Frederick Bell but kept with the

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

style, and a

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquiall ...

was added. Because of this work, the church is considered to be more Victorian in construction than

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 ...

. The tower survived, but was reduced in height, being heightened again in 1910. Other pre-Victorian elements of the church include the east window of the north aisle, some roof bosses, the bell-frame and bells, the north and south doors, the piscina, and various monuments. In 1969, the church closed, and many of its fittings were removed. However, it was restored by

George Pace George Gaze Pace, (31 December 1915 – 23 August 1975) was an English architect who specialised in ecclesiastical works. He was trained in London, and served in the army, before being appointed as surveyor to a number of cathedrals. Mo ...

, and in 1974 it reopened as a centre for the elderly. He inserted a mezzanine floor over the north aisle, to give space for offices, and placed a kitchen in the south aisle. The sanctuary was converted into a chapel, with a reredos from All Saints, Falsgrove. The church was

listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

as Grade II in June 1954.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:York, Saint Sampson Saint Sampson

Sampson Sampson may refer to: Military * , several Royal Navy ships * , several US Navy ships * Sampson-class destroyer, a World War I US Navy class * Sampson Air Force Base, near Seneca Lake, New York, closed in 1956 * SAMPSON, a multi-function radar ...

15th-century church buildings in England 19th-century Church of England church buildings