St Michael le Belfrey is an Anglican

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 ...

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 is situated at the junction of High Petergate and

Minster Yard Minster Yard is a street in the city centre of York, England. It runs along the southern, eastern and northeastern sides of York Minster, for which it is named. History The street may have originated as the courtyard of the headquarters buildi ...

, directly opposite

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 Arch ...

, in the centre of the city.

History

The present church building was built between 1525 and 1537 and replaced a church that dated back to at least 1294. The church is famous for being the place where

Guy Fawkes Guy Fawkes (; 13 April 1570 – 31 January 1606), also known as Guido Fawkes while fighting for the Spanish, was a member of a group of provincial English Catholics involved in the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. He was born and educated ...

was baptised on 16 April 1570. Fawkes later became a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

, which led to the failed 1605

Gunpowder Plot The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby who sough ...

. The church was also the scene of the wedding of

Christopher Levett Capt. Christopher Levett (15 April 1586 – 1630) was an English writer, explorer and naval captain, born at York, England. He explored the coast of New England and secured a grant from the King to settle present-day Portland, Maine, the first ...

of York, the English explorer, to Mercy More, daughter of the Revd Robert More of Guiseley, Yorkshire, in 1608. It is also sited near to the place where the

Emperor Constantine Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to convert to Christianity. Born in Naissus, Dacia Mediterrane ...

was proclaimed a Roman Emperor. The west front and bellcote date from 1867 and were supervised by the architect

George Fowler Jones George Fowler Jones (25 January 1818 – 1 March 1905) was an architect and early amateur photographer who was born in Scotland but based for most of his working life in York. Biography and work Jones was born in Inverness in 1818. He studied ...

. The stained glass panels on the front of the building were restored by John Knowles in the early 19th century.

Recent history

In the early 1970s the parish of St Michael le Belfrey was joined with the nearby St Cuthbert's Church, which had experienced revival in the late 1960s under the leadership of David Watson and could no longer be accommodated in the building. Growth continued in the 1970s and the church became known as a centre for charismatic renewal.

Present

The church continues to reflect the creativity that was encouraged under the David Watson era. There are usually three services held on Sunday, a more formal morning service at 9 am; the "XI", a family service at 11 am; and "The6", an evening service, both with a more informal style, featuring contemporary worship. The "Faith in the City" service meets at 12:30 on Wednesday lunch-times, providing workers of the city a short half-hour service mid-week, with a light lunch served afterwards. The church maintains links with Riding Lights Theatre Company, York Schools and Youth Trust (YoYo), Alpha UK as well as numerous parachurch organisations involved in mission work both locally and internationally. The church is a member of the One Voice York,

Evangelical Alliance The Evangelical Alliance (EA) is a national evangelical alliance, member of the World Evangelical Alliance. Founded in 1846, the activities of the Evangelical Alliance aim to promote evangelical Christian beliefs in government, media and socie ...

and

New Wine New Wine is a not-for-profit Christian evangelical organization based in the United Kingdom, that assists Christian churches with organizational leadership training and fundraising. The organization also holds its own annual summer conferences, ...

network of churches. Its daughter church, G2, meets twice on a Sunday at Central Methodist Church York. The Belfrey (as it is sometimes known) is a larger Anglican church and the present

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...

is the Reverend Matthew Porter. The other senior clergy are Reverend Andy Baker (Associate Minister) and Reverend Vicky Earll (Curate).

References

;Notes ;Bibliography *

External links

* *
St Michael le Belfrey Chinese Ministry

G2
{{DEFAULTSORT:St Michael Le Belfrey, York Minster Yard 1536 establishments in England 16th-century Church of England church buildings Churches completed in 1536 Michael Michael Religious buildings and structures completed in 1536

History

Recent history

Present

See also

References

External links