St Etheldreda's Church Survived Henry VIII
London's St Etheldreda's Church, built around 1290, is the city's oldest surviving Catholic church, having remarkably survived Henry VIII's seizures and the Penal Laws. The Gothic structure's survival story has captivated social media users, generating over 20,000 views and highlighting its unique place in London's religious architecture.
- Before the Reformation, the church served as the London chapel for the Bishops of Ely, whose adjacent palace and gardens were renowned for their strawberries, as mentioned in Shakespeare's *Richard III*. - During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the property was famously acquired by her favorite, Sir Christopher Hatton, after he expressed a strong desire for the estate. - In the early 17th century, the chapel briefly and discreetly returned to Catholic use when it was granted to the Spanish ambassador, whose embassy was considered foreign soil and thus a safe haven for English Catholics to worship. - After falling into disrepair and being used as an Anglican place of worship, the building was put up for auction in 1874 and purchased by Father William Lockhart of the Rosminian order, who then oversaw its restoration. - A High Mass was celebrated in 1878 for the first time in over 200 years, marking its official return to the Catholic Church. - The church houses a significant relic: the hand of St. Etheldreda, which was hidden during the Reformation on the Duke of Norfolk's estate and later gifted to the church. - The structure consists of an upper church and a crypt, a design modeled on the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. - During the Blitz in May 1941, a German bomb destroyed the roof and the Victorian stained glass windows; new glass designed by Joseph Nuttgens was installed in 1952.
