ST.BARTHOLOMEW THE GREAT, A LESSER KNOWN TOURIST ATTRACTION IN LONDON.

St.Bartholomew the Great, is one of the great London Churches, located in West Smithfield, in the City of London, which at the time of it's foundation was part of the king's market.

For anyone interested in Medieval Times in London, the Tower of London, quite rightly holds it's place as one of the Main Tourist Attractions in London. However it's main function, was as a fortress and sometime home to the kings of England.

It has more famously been a prison, a place of execution, a bank, a repository for the king's wardrobe and of course, it is still the home of the crown jewels.

The lesser known, but just as equally important institutions are the places to go and see, if your interests lie in how the ordinary people lived, worked, played and died throughout London's history.

The ordinary people were the lifeblood of the City of London, who for obvious reasons, were much more involved with The churches, hospitals, fairs, markets and other institutions, which was it's pulse. We will look at two such institutions here, the church of St.Bartholomew the Great and St.Bartholomews or St.Barts Hospital.

Now, if we explore the history of these institutions, some of which successfully hides itself from us. It gives a tremendous amount of satisfaction when, after some research, what can quite reasonably be described as a tableau, slowly begins to come to life before our eyes, revealing the lives and customs of the local people at particular times in the past.

St.Bartholomew the Great, was founded at the same time in 1123, as the nearby Hospital for the Restoration of Poor Men. On being dedicated to it's Patron, St.Bartholomew the Apostle, it acquired the name of St.Bartholomew's Hospital or more famously, St.Bart's Hospital, as it has always been fondly called.

A rare survivor of the great priories, from london's medieval past, which once dominated the pre-Reformation medieval City of London, St.Bartholomew the Great has one of the finest Norman interiors to be found anywhere, and exudes all the qualities of a Cathedral. It should be up there with the main Tourist Attractions in London.

The church today, is the only part left intact, of what was once an Augustinian Priory. Perhaps one should be greatful however, that fragments of their greatness were spared, amid the absolute wanton and mindless destruction of these great priories and monasteries that accompanied their Dissolution during the reign of Henry VIII of England.

The site chosen for the Priory, was a spot situated just outside the city walls known as Smedfield or Smoothfield when the Priory was constructed and was one of the busiest areas of the medieval city of London.

The church is now hidden away and accessed on the west side by a gateway, surmounted by a half-timbered Tudor structure, which was added in 1559.

Although it may be picturesque, by no stretch of the imagination can it compensate for what each one of us has lost, when about half the priory church, which included the magnificent nave and western facade were demolished.

This entrance which once led into the southern aisle of the nave, formed the right hand archway of that western facade and is all that now remains.

The magnificent nave, together with other buildings which made up the original Priory were destroyed in the wholesale demolitions and desecrations which were carried out during the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the priory church became a parish church.

Chalices, ciboria, patens, pyx, monstrances, Tabernacles, Reliquaries, Santuary Lamps, Processional Crosses, Stations of the Cross, Priests Vestments and everything of value found their way into the king's coffers. Some of the Monastic buildings were given away as gifts, to supporters of king Henry VIII's policies, or sold to others.

Sir Richard Rich an unscrupulous Lawyer and Chancellor of the Court of Augmentations, which had been established for the disposal of the revenues of the Dissolved Monasteries, acquired the real estate and holdings of the Priory of St.Bartholomew the Great.

The Priory of St.Bartholomew the Great and St.Bartholomew's Hospital, were both founded in Smithfield London in 1123, during the reign of King Henry 1, by Rahere, a prebendary of St. Paul's Cathedral, who later became an Augustinian canon. The construction of both commenced simultaneously.

Not much is known about Rahere, but what little we do know about this remarkable man, is taken from a book written by one of the canons belonging to the priory of St.Bartholomew the Great, shortly after Rahere's death.

It is called the Book of Foundation and recounts the strange and supernatural experience of a man, who having been overcome by tremendous grief, was filled with remorse for his indulgent lifestyle and underwent an equally tremendous conversion.

As a result of his conversion, he undertook a pilgrimage to Rome, to seek out the shrines of Saint Peter and Saint Paul the martyred apostles of Jesus Christ, with the intention of making reperation for his past sins.

Whilst in Rome he fell grievously ill and made a vow that if he recovered and was allowed to return to England, he would erect a Hospital for the restoration of poor men. Rahere did recover and ascribed it to a miraculous intervention.

On his safe return to England, at an opportune moment, he sought an audience with King Henry I, who gave him the authority to found both a Church, which would be called St.Bartholomew the Great in honour of the Apostle and the Hospital for the Restoration of poor men, on the king's market at Smithfield.

From the Book of Foundation we are informed that after the founder had made his application to the bishop of the diocese, the bishop set up a cross and set out the ground where the church of St.Bartholomew the Great was to be built, and then the founder might proceed with the building: when finished the bishop was to consecrate it, before which the sacraments were not to be administered therein. (fn. 52)

So it happened, for as soon as Rahere had received the royal charter, the Bishop of London, set up a cross on the site at the founding ceremony in March 1123, (as was customary at the time and still is in the Roman Catholic Church, prior to the erection of a new Church), and the area of the church of St.Bartholomew the Great and the Hospital for the Restoration of Sick Men was defined.

The Book of Foundation tells us that, the condition of the site was foul and marshy, full of filth and muddy water. It was also a place of execution for thieves and punishment for others who had been condemned by judicial authority. In fact the gallows appear to have originally stood on the site of the church.

Before construction work on St.Bartholomew the Great could begin, the site had to be cleansed. Rahere devoted all his time and energy to this task, completely purging the whole place. When satisfied with its cleanliness he employed his master mason, who took full control of the building works.

The master mason was the most important man on medieval building sites. From the very beginning he had to plan his strategy.

His responsibilities ranged from the employment of the labour force, to arranging for all the building materials and ensuring that they arrived on time. (It was probably a very difficult task in finding the right skilled men, as there were so many churches and houses being built in the City of London at that particular time, there would have been a great shortage of skilled tradesmen)

The arrival at the alloted time, of these materials, such as stone, timber, lime and sand was of the utmost importance. The timing was essential to ensure the construction proceeded smoothly and in the correct sequence.

Nine hundred years later, nothing has changed, nor is it likely to.

The foundations were marked out as accurately as possible by string lines fixed to stakes which were driven into the ground. These foundations were then excavated, filled with stone and compacted.

The walls were then set out on these foundations, again using string lines. Two single stone surface walls were then built, with the void between them filled with rubble and mortar, to form a sandwich.

From the Book of Foundation we are told that people were amazed at the speed with which the site had been purged and the adorable cross raised on the site where the horrible gibbets of thieves had been standing only a short time before. (the adorable cross is a reference to the cross or rood erected at the founding ceremony).

They marvelled that the mystery of the Lord's Body and Holy Blood had been able to take place in St. Bartholomew the Great so soon after the blood of guilty men had been spilled by execution. (the mystery of the Lord's Body and Holy Blood refers to the Act of Consecration, when the bread and wine are believed to be mysteriously changed into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ)

A parallel can be made with Calvary. It too was the execution site for criminals, located outside of the walls which enclosed the City of Jerusalem, and it was there, where the mystery of the Lord's Body and Holy Blood had first taken place with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

The site chosen for the construction of what would become St.Bartholomew the Great was also ouside of the walls which enclosed the City of London. Both sites were execution sites for criminals.

For the mystery of the Lord's Body and Holy Blood to have taken place here, meant that part of the building would have been sufficiently completed for the Holy Sacrifice to have taken place, as it would not have been allowed, without the finished building being Consecrated.

It is an inescapable fact also, that the funds must also have been found to have paid in full for the completed part of the building.

The reason for this is that, before the rite of consecration or dedication of a Church could take place, it was on condition that the building must be debt free, as it would be a contradiction to consecrate a building which is burdened by debt/mortgage to the service of God.

Rahere, in his vision/dream had been told by St.Bartholomew the Apostle, that he himself would ensure there would be no problems encountered finding the funding for the construction and the purchase of the materials. The following are part the words taken from the Book of Foundation, which were spoken by St. Bartholomew to Rahere:

' Therefore let thy hands be strengthened, and having faith in the Lord act manfully. Nor doubt at all with anxious mind concerning the expenses of this building; merely apply diligence, mine it shall be to provide the costs necessary for directing and completing the fabric of this work and to proclaim the place itself acceptable to God and myself with very manifest signs and tokens, and to protect thee incessantly beneath the shadow of my wings. Of this work know that thou art the minister and I the master. Do thou employ diligent service; I will perform the office of master and patron." At these words the vision disappeared.'

It would appear that St. Batholomew was true to his word, for this indeed proved to be the case. Along with the charter to build the church and the hospital, Rahere had also received from King Henry I, a charter to hold a Fair to help meet the costs of construction.

This Fair took it's name from St. Bartholomew the Apostle on whose feast day,24th August it was held each year. It rapidly became known as the famous Bartholomew Fair or Cloth Fair.

This fair, together with the patronage of both the king and the Bishop of London, saw to it that the cost of carrying out the entire project, was met, with no problems encountered whatsoever. St.Bartholomew the Great was debt free.

It's acceptability to God and St.Bartholomew was made apparent by the many manifest signs and tokens, which were recorded as having taken place. The church of St.Bartholomew the Great became well known for its curative and miraculous powers, with many of the sick and disabled who were constantly filling it, being miraculously cured, especially on the 24th August, the feast of St.Bartholomew the Apostle.

The actual date that the consecration of St.Bartholomew the Great took place was unfortunately not recorded in the Book of Foundation. That the consecration took place however, there can be no doubt, for without this solemn dedication, the Holy Sacrifice would not have been allowed to take place.

It is assumed that it was about this time, before completion of the building, that Rahere obtained the help of Alfune to assist him in the great project. By now Alfune was an old man, but he brought with him, vast experience.

It was Alfune who had built the Church of St. Giles at Cripplegate, from its foundation to its conclusion and so Rahere wasted no time in appointing the aged man as his colleague and assistant.

His age was no hindrance to him, for he would travel about the city, accompanied by an officer attached to the church, seeking alms for the relief of the poor in the hospital.

By the time Rahere died, sometime around 1143-1145, the eastern part of the church had been built. A bay shorter than it is now, a small setback on the flat-faced pier before the crossing marks the point where the first phase of the building finished.

The tomb of Rahere cannot be missed. It is positioned on the north side of the Sanctuary, where his mortal remains now lie beneath his effigy, under a canopy. This present tomb was erected when the remodelling of the east end of the church took place in 1405.

St.Bartholomew the Great became a place of pilgrimage, especially for the London citizenry. Many miracles were recorded as having taken place.

The construction of the great priory church of St.Bartholomew the Great continued after Rahere's death and the canon's living quarters were added.

Prior Thomas who succeeded Rahere (1144?-1174), extended the quire further west, adding small arches to the gallery openings and built the clerestory, which allowed in the daylight to illuminate the church.

The central tower was supported on Great arches, the north and south transepts were added and the construction of the nave commenced. The whole church was now shaped like a cross. However, work on the nave ceased for whatever reason and did not re-commence until 1230.

Not much is known about the tower over the crossing, except that it was damaged in 1264 when it was struck by lightning. The only clue as to whether it had a spire or not, lies in the priory's seal, which does in fact depict a church with a spire, other than that it is not known.

Prior Thomas's successors carried on his work, completing the construction of St.Bartholomew the Great and beautifying it. When work on the nave was re-started in 1230, a new style of construction had evolved from the Norman, called Early English.

Some of Prior Thomas's nave was demolished and the new Early English style, which comprised of pointed arches and more elaborate stonework decoration was dovetailed into the earlier Norman arches.

If you look outside the church on the northwest corner, you can still see a pointed arch of the nave with part of a pier, earlier Norman arches and a thirteenth century clerestory window.

A screen would have stretched right across the nave and aisles, which seperated the canons' part of the church from the public area. Above the screen was the Rood, which comprised of large figures of Jesus hanging on the Cross, His mother Mary on one side and St. John on the other.

The Sacrifice of the Mass was offered every day from the Jesus Altar which was positioned up against the screen, with several more Altars spread around the nave.

This part would have been used by the people for entertainment such as the performing of plays, as well as for worship.

This was common practice, for up until the Dissolution it was the Monasteries which gave shelter to travellers and staged plays.

That was the advent of the stagecoach or coaching Inns.

The priory church of St.Bartholomew the Great had been more or less completed by the middle of the thirteenth century. However, in 1335, the prior, John de Pekesden wanted a new Lady Chapel built at the east end and the old dark and smaller Norman chapel was demolished.

Go To Page 2 of St.Bartholomew the Great.>

Return To London Tourist Attractions

Old St. Paul's Cathedral

Go To Medieval Times in London

Return From St.Bartholomew the Great, To A-London-Tourist-Guide Home Page

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy