St Paul's Church, Jarrow, is a Church of England parish church in the Parish of Jarrow and Simonside, on the south bank of the River Tyne in northern England. It was founded in 681 as a part of the

Monkwearmouth–Jarrow Abbey The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Monkwearmouth–Jarrow, known simply as Monkwearmouth–Jarrow Abbey ( la, Monasterii Wirimutham-Gyruum), was a Benedictine double monastery in the Kingdom of Northumbria, England. Its first hou ...

. Most of the church is later, but the chancel is the remains of a free-standing chapel of the original monastery. Above the chancel arch is a dedication stone dating to 23 April 685, making this one of, if not the oldest, church dedication stones in England. The Church was dedicated to St Paul by King Ecgfrith and Abbot Ceolfrith.

Architecture

Anglo-Saxon

The original church on the site was built in 681 at the behest of King Ecgfrith, who donated land for its constitution as a part of the

. The chancel is the remains of a free-standing chapel of the original monastery. Within the church, in the centre of the North

Nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

, the foot of a fine Saxon Cross is on display, its surviving Latin inscription reads: ''In this unique sign, life is restored to the word''. On an inner wall of the tower is a dedication stone dating to 23 April 685, making this one of, if not the oldest, church dedication stones in England. The Church was dedicated to St Paul in the 15th year of King Ecgfrith and the 4th year of the Abbot Ceolfrith. The remains and markers for some of the later (medieval) abbey can be found in the church ground. In 794, the

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and ...

sacked the church and monastery, but in 1074 it was repaired and the monastery refounded by Aidwin, Prior of

Winchcombe Abbey Winchcombe Abbey is a now-vanished Benedictine abbey in Winchcombe, Gloucestershire; this abbey was once in the heart of Mercia, an Anglo Saxon kingdom at the time of the Heptarchy in England. The Abbey was founded c. 798 for three hundred Benedi ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

. The monastery became a daughter house of the Benedictine community in Durham. At the dissolution of the monasteries, St Paul's became a parish church.

Gothic and Gothic Revival

The rest of the church is much later. The late 15th-century choir stalls on the north side of the chancel are noteworthy. The nave and the north aisle were built by Sir George Gilbert Scott. There is, in addition to the older windows, including a few pieces of Anglo-Saxon stained glass, a more modern window by John Piper (1903–92).The church also has on display ''Bede’s Chair'' (but evidence suggests that this originated after Bede's death).

Modern

Three works by Fenwick Lawson can be found in the church, The Risen Ascended Christ, Bede, and St Michael and the Devil.

References

Other References

* Boyle, J. R. (1887). ''Hand-book to the Church and Monastery of St. Paul, Jarrow: with a short account of the life of the Venerable Bede''. Newcastle-on-Tyne: W. Scott. * Colgrave, Bertram. (1959). ''A Guide to St. Paul's Church, Jarrow, and its Monastic Buildings'', Gloucester * Cramp, R. J. (1976). ''St Paul’s Church, Jarrow. The archaeological study of Churches'' (CBA research report 13., p. 28‑36). Londres: Addyman (P.) & Morris (R.). * Jenkins, Simon. (2002). ''England's thousand best churches''. London: Penguin Books. {{DEFAULTSORT:Jarrow, St Paul's Church 7th-century church buildings in England Church of England church buildings in Tyne and Wear