St Pancras Church is a small church situated in the middle of the
Guildhall Shopping Centre in Exeter. The majority of the church dates from the thirteenth century, although the
font
In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a ''typeface'', defined as the set of fonts that share an overall design.
For instance, the typeface Bauer Bodoni (shown in the figure) includes fonts " Roman" (or "regul ...
is eleventh century.
The church probably occupies the oldest Christian site in Exeter, and is usually open on weekdays. The church is designated by
English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...
as a Grade II*
listed building
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 ...
.
History
It is not known when St Pancras' Church was constructed though the dedication to Saint Pancras indicated that it may have been of Anglo-Saxon origin. Records cited a Saxon-style archway in the construction which was later removed during renovations. The church was first mentioned in 1191 but most of the building work dates to the 13th century.
The church underwent several periods of use and disuse between 1658 and 1831.
In 1831, the chancel arch was destroyed and replaced with a plain one which stood until
John Loughborough Pearson
John Loughborough Pearson (5 July 1817 – 11 December 1897) was a British Gothic Revival architect renowned for his work on churches and cathedrals. Pearson revived and practised largely the art of vaulting, and acquired in it a proficie ...
renovated the church to rebuild the original arch. Pews were also added to the church.
In 1906, when the nearby All Hallows Church was demolished for road widening, St Pancras received its Jacobean pulpit and medieval memorial tablets.
In the early 20th century, the
Bishop of Exeter
The Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The current bishop is Mike Harrison (bishop), Mike Harrison, since 2024.
From the first bishop until the sixteent ...
considered closing St Pancras and uniting it with another parish but due to the church hosting worshipers from churches that had been bombed during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the church remained open with the Victorian pews later removed.
A house that had been built up against the church and blocked out a window in the 1930s was removed during 1969 due to a shopping centre being built around the sunken church.
The stained glass in the east window is by
Percy Bacon & Brothers.
Installed in 1895, it depicts
Pancras of Rome
Pancras (Latin: ''Sanctus Pancratius'') was a Roman citizen who converted to Christianity and was beheaded for his faith at the age of fourteen, around the year 304. His name is Greek ( ), meaning 'all-powerful'.
From an early period, Pancras wa ...
,
The Crucifixion of Jesus
The crucifixion of Jesus was the death of Jesus by being nailed to a cross.The instrument of crucifixion is taken to be an upright wooden beam to which was added a transverse wooden beam, thus forming a "cruciform" or T-shaped structure. ...
, and
St. Boniface.
In 1953,
English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...
granted the church grade II* listed building status. The reason for the grant was because St Pancras was a good example of a small medieval urban church that managed to maintain a lot of its original medieval fittings and fixtures.
See also
*
References
Further reading
*Orme, Nicholas (2014) ''The Churches of Medieval Exeter'', Impress Books, ISBN 9781907605512; pp. 153-54.
External links
St. Pancras Church
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Pancras Church
Exeter
Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...
Churches in Exeter
Exeter
Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...
John Loughborough Pearson buildings
English churches dedicated to St Pancras