Church of St Candida and Holy Cross
| St Candida and Holy Cross | |
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St Candida and Holy Cross from the west
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 St Candida and Holy Cross
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| 50°45′19″N 2°51′23″W / 50.7553°N 2.8565°WCoordinates: 50°45′19″N 2°51′23″W / 50.7553°N 2.8565°W | |
| OS grid reference | SY3967895432 |
| Location | Whitchurch Canonicorum, Dorset |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | cathedralofthevale |
| History | |
| Founder(s) | Alfred the Great |
| Relics held | St Wite (Latin: St Candida) |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 5 September 1960 |
| Style | Early English, Perpendicular |
| Specifications | |
| Tower height | 75 feet (23 m) |
| Materials | Stone, slate roof |
| Bells | Eight |
| Tenor bell weight | 16 long cwt 3 qr 26 lb (1,902 lb or 863 kg) |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Whitchurch Canonicorum |
| Deanery | Lyme Bay |
| Archdeaconry | Sherborne |
| Diocese | Salisbury |
| Province | Canterbury |
| Clergy | |
| Rector | Revd Stephen Skinner |
| Vicar(s) | Revd Jane Skinner |
| Laity | |
| Churchwarden(s) | Hilary Joyce |
The Church of St Candida and Holy Cross is an Anglican church in Whitchurch Canonicorum, Dorset, England. A Saxon church stood on the site but nothing remains of that structure. The earliest parts of the church date from the 12th century when it was rebuilt by Benedictine monks. Further major rebuilding work took place in the 13th century and in the 14th century the church's prominent tower was constructed. The church features some Norman architectural features but is predominantly Early English and Perpendicular. George Somers, founder of the colony of Bermuda, is buried under the vestry and the assassinated Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov is interred in the churchyard. It is an active Church of England parish church in the deanery of Lyme Bay, the archdeaconry of Sherborne, and the diocese of Salisbury. It is the only parish church in the country to have a shrine that contains the relics of a saint. The relics belong to St Candida (the Latin form of St Wite) to whom the church is dedicated. The church been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building.
The church lies on the northern edge of Whitchurch Canonicorum, a small village in the Marshwood Vale in west Dorset.Alfred the Great founded a church on the site in the 9th century named Hwitan Cyrican ("White Church" or "Whitchurch") and bequeathed it to his youngest son Æthelweard. However, nothing significant remains of that structure. In the 11th century William the Conqueror gave ownership of the church to the monks of St Wandrille's monastery in Normandy, France. They began a major reconstruction and expansion of the building in the 12th century. In 1190 the monks sold or gave the church and benefice to the Bishop of Salisbury and in the early 13th century it was handed over to Robert de Mandeville, Lord of Marshwood Vale, in return for an annual fee. De Mandeville made further extensive renovations: the nave, north and south transept and south wall of the chancel were added, and a shrine containing the remains of St Wite was erected. In the mid-13th century de Mandeville presented ownership of the church to the Bishop of Bath and Wells. However, the Bishop of Salisbury was unwilling to relinquish his annual payment and a compromise was reached whereby the parish tithes would be divided between the two canons. It was at this time that the Latin affix Canonicorum (of the canons) was added to Whitchurch.
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