St Alfege Church, Greenwich
| St. Alfege Church | |
|---|---|
St Alfege Church, January 2005
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Southwark |
| Clergy | |
| Vicar(s) | Rev Chris Moody |
| Laity | |
| Director of music | Stephen Dagg |
Coordinates: 51°28′49.7″N 00°00′34.8″W / 51.480472°N 0.009667°W
St Alfege Church is an Anglican church in the centre of Greenwich, part of the Royal Borough of Greenwich in London. It is of medieval origin and was rebuilt in 1712–14 to the designs of Nicholas Hawksmoor.
The church is dedicated to Alfege (also spelt "Alphege"), Archbishop of Canterbury, and reputedly marks the place where he was martyred on 19 April 1012, having been taken prisoner during the sack of Canterbury by Danish raiders the previous year. The Danes took him to their camp at Greenwich and killed him when the large ransom they demanded was not forthcoming.
The church was rebuilt in around 1290. It was in this building that Henry VIII was baptised in 1491.
The patronage of the church was given to the abbey at Ghent during the 13th century. Following the suppression of alien priories under Henry V, it was granted to the priory at Sheen with which it remained until transferred to the Crown by exchange under Henry VIII in 1530.
During a storm in 1710 the medieval church collapsed, its foundations having been weakened by burials both inside and outside.
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