St. Giles Church is a

grade I listed 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 ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

Gilesgate Gilesgate is a place in County Durham, England. It is situated east of the centre of Durham, England, Durham. It is also a ward of Durham with a total population taken at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 8,074. Gilesgate was origina ...

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county *Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in No ...

, England. It was founded in 1112 by Bishop Ranulf Flambard as the chapel for nearby St. Giles' Hospital.

History

The church was constructed as the hospital chapel of the Hospital of St Giles outside the city walls. It was dedicated on St Barnabas' Day, June 1112 by Bishop Flambard to "the honour of God and

St Giles Saint Giles (, la, Aegidius, french: Gilles), also known as Giles the Hermit, was a hermit or monk active in the lower Rhône most likely in the 6th century. Revered as a saint, his cult became widely diffused but his hagiography is mostly lege ...

Godric of Finchale Godric of Finchale (or St Goderic) ( – 21 May 1170) was an English hermit, merchant and popular medieval saint, although he was never formally canonised. He was born in Walpole in Norfolk and died in Finchale in County Durham. Life God ...

was a doorkeeper as St. Giles before moving to Finchale to become a hermit. The church became caught up in an 1140 dispute over the bishopric of Durham following the usurpation of the diocese by

William Cumin William Cumin (or de Comyn or de Commines) (died ) was a bishop of Durham, and Justiciar of Scotland. Life Several Cumins were clerks in the chanceries of King Henry I of England and King Henry II of England, as well as in the dioceses of Ro ...

, Chancellor of King

David I of Scotland David I or Dauíd mac Maíl Choluim (Modern: ''Daibhidh I mac haoilChaluim''; – 24 May 1153) was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians from 1113 to 1124 and later King of Scotland from 1124 to 1153. The youngest son of Malcolm ...

. William of St. Barbara, the rightly elected Bishop, was forced to retreat to, and fortify, the church after his abortive entry into Durham was beaten back by Cumin's men. In response Cumin's men destroyed the hospital, which was later refounded at nearby

Kepier Kepier is a location in the city of Durham, England in the parish of Belmont, close to Gilesgate and beside the River Wear. It is site of the medieval Hospital of St Giles at Kepier. The name derives from 'Kipe weir', meaning a weir with a fi ...

. In 1180 Bishop Puiset extended the church to reflect its role at the centre of a growing parish, adding the chancel."St Giles's Church, Gilesgate, Durham", Pipe Organs of Durham and the North East
/ref> The current font is believed to date from this time. The church was appropriated to

Kepier Hospital Kepier Hospital (properly the Hospital of St Giles of Kepier) was a medieval hospital at Kepier, Durham, England, Durham, England. Founding at Gilesgate The hospital was founded at Gilesgate, Durham, England, Durham, by Ranulf Flambard, Bishop ...

which acted as

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

, receiving

tithes A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash or cheques or more r ...

and with 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, ...

(right to appoint a

vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

), appointing a parochial chaplain to minister to the needs of the parish. Extensive building and restoration work was also carried out during the 13th and a5th centuries. John Heath, the Elizabethan owner of the

estates,

and

Old Durham Old Durham is a hamlet in County Durham, in England. It is situated approximately 1 mile east of central Durham and south of Gilesgate. The most northerly remains of a Romanised farmstead in the Roman Empire were excavated at Old Durham du ...

is buried in the church. The ecclesiastical parish of St Giles was divided in 1852 with the creation of a new Belmont parish, served from the church of St Mary Magdalene, Belmont and covering Belmont,

Gilesgate Moor Belmont is a suburb forming the north-eastern parts of the city of Durham, England. Belmont Parish covers four old coal mining villages of Belmont, Carrville, Broomside and Gilesgate Moor, which have been joined together by industrial and subu ...

and New Durham. St Giles Church retains some of Flambard's original building (primarily the north wall) and most of Puiset's additions. Minor restoration and three large windows inserted into the south wall in 1828. The church was restored and extended in 1873-1876 as the parish continued to grow. The organ was built by

Harrison & Harrison Harrison & Harrison Ltd is a British company that makes and restores pipe organs, based in Durham and established in Rochdale in 1861. It is well known for its work on instruments such as King's College, Cambridge, Westminster Abbey, and the R ...

in 1882. The war memorial at the St. Giles Church, commemorates the members of the parish who were killed or missing in the First World War; it lists sixty-seven names. There are three bells in the tower that hang from a girder installed in 1964. The old oak bell frames are likely of late medieval or early post-medieval date. The Revd Canon Dr Alan B. Bartlett is the current vicar of St Giles since Summer 2008. The Rev’d Abbey Hughes is curate.St Giles' Church, Durham
/ref>

References

External links

* ttp://www.stgilesdurham.org.uk St Giles' Church Durham website
"St Giles's Church, Gilesgate, Durham", Pipe Organs of Durham and the North East
{{DEFAULTSORT:Durham, Saint Giles Churches completed in 1112 12th-century church buildings in England Churches in Durham, England Church of England church buildings in County Durham Grade I listed churches in County Durham