St. Giles Church is a

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...

Gilesgate Gilesgate is a street and an eastern inner suburb of Durham in County Durham, England. The street was once the main eastern route into Durham City. It runs east from the end of Claypath on the edge of Durham City centre, steeply uphill to Giles ...

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

, 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 (, , , , ; 650 - 710), also known as Giles the Hermit, was a hermit or monk active in the lower Rhône most likely in the 7th century. Revered as a saint, his cult became widely diffused but his hagiography is mostly legendary. A ...

". Godric of Finchale 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 Scotia. 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 Rouen ...

, Chancellor of King

David I of Scotland David I or Dauíd mac Maíl Choluim (Scottish Gaelic, Modern Gaelic: ''Daibhidh I mac haoilChaluim''; – 24 May 1153) was a 12th century ruler and saint who was David I as Prince of the Cumbrians, Prince of the Cumbrians from 1113 to 112 ...

. 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. 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. Founding at Gilesgate The hospital was founded at Gilesgate, Durham, by Bishop Flambard as an almshouse "for the keeping of t ...

which acted as rector, 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. Modern tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques or via onli ...

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, a ...

(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 p ...

), 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 15th centuries. John Heath, the Elizabethan owner of the Kepier 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 d ...

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 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 were 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 based in Durham that makes and restores pipe organs. It was established in Rochdale in 1861. It is well known for its work on instruments such as King's College, Cambridge, Westminster Abbey, and t ...

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 Buildings and structures completed in 1112 Churches completed in the 1110s 12th-century church buildings in England

Church of England church buildings in County Durham Grade I listed churches in County Durham