Visit-a-Church
Key Image St Martin-in-the-Fields
Trafalgar Square
WC2N 4JJ London (City of Westminster)
United Kingdom
Denomination: Anglican
Congregation: St. Martin in the Fields (Diocese of London, Archdeaconry of Charing Cross, Westminster St Margaret Deanery)
Geogr. Coordinates: 51.50878° N, 0.12675° W
Geo Location
Reference year: 1726
Architectural style: Baroque
Building type: Hall Church
Description: Baroque hall church with crypt and a porticus with integrated tower
Name derivation: From St Martin of Tours and the situation of its medieval predecessor church “in the fields” between the cities of Westminster and London
Building material
  • Portland sand stone
Bells
  • 12 bells, cast in 1988
Noteworthy
  • Combination of the bell tower with the monumental gabled proticus in the form of an antique temple; often copied throughout the Commonwealth and the USA
Organ
  • Built in 1990 by the organ builders J.W. Walker & Sons; 48 stops, three manuals and pedal
Windows
  • Venetian window in the chancel (a form derived from Roman triumphal arches), central window by Shirazeh Houshiary and Pip Horne (2008)
Noteworthy
  • Barrel vault with white stucco ornaments, created by the Swiss artists Giuseppe Artari and Giovanni Bagutti
History:
1721:   Design by James Gibbs and start of construction
1726:   Inauguration
21/09/1886:   Establishment of the church’s own almshouses and pensions-charity
1958:   Foundation of the “Academy of St Martin in the Fields” chamber orchestra by Sir Neville Marriner
13/11/1959:   First concert by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields in the church
Important persons:
Architect:  Gibbs, James (1682–1754, one of the most influential architects of Great Britain, himself influenced by Christopher Wren)
Patron:  Martin (316/17–397, bishop of Tours)
Dimensions:
Nave Height [m]:  59
Sources
St Martin-in-the-Fields: Art and exhibitions, https://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/visit/things-to-see-and-do/art-and-exhibitions/, retrieved 25/06/2022
The Academy: About us, https://www.asmf.org/about-the-academy/, retrieved 25/06/2022
Wikipedia: St Martin-in-the-Fields, https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Martin-in-the-Fields, retrieved 25/06/2022
Wikipedia, engl.: St Martin-in-the-Fields, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Martin-in-the-Fields, retrieved 25/06/2022
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TuK Bassler
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