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St Mary's Church, Oxford

University Church of St Mary the Virgin
St Mary's Church, Radcliffe Sq, Oxford, UK - Diliff.jpg
The church from Radcliffe Square
51°45′10″N 1°15′13.45″W / 51.75278°N 1.2537361°W / 51.75278; -1.2537361Coordinates: 51°45′10″N 1°15′13.45″W / 51.75278°N 1.2537361°W / 51.75278; -1.2537361
Location Oxford
Country England
Denomination Church of England
Churchmanship High Church / Liberal Catholic
Website universitychurch.ox.ac.uk
History
Dedication Blessed Virgin Mary
Events Site of the 1555 trial of the Oxford Martyrs
Associated people Adam de Brome, John Henry Newman
Architecture
Status Parish church
Functional status Active
Style English Gothic
Specifications
Number of spires 1
Administration
Parish Oxford
Diocese Oxford
Province Canterbury
Clergy
Vicar(s) William Lamb
Priest(s) Charlotte Bannister-Parker
Assistant priest(s) Andrew Allen
Judith Maltby/ Alan Ramsey
Honorary priest(s) Donald Reece
Laity
Organist/Director of music Gulliver Ralston
Organist(s) James Brown
Churchwarden(s) Janet Greenland, Sarah Mortimer, David Barr, Nicholas Hardyman

The University Church of St Mary the Virgin (St Mary's or SMV for short) is an Oxford church situated on the north side of the High Street. It is the centre from which the University of Oxford grew and its parish consists almost exclusively of university and college buildings.

St Mary's possesses an eccentric baroque porch, designed by Nicholas Stone, facing High Street, and a spire which is claimed by some church historians to be one of the most beautiful in England.Radcliffe Square lies to the north and to the east is Catte Street. The 13th century tower is open to the public for a fee and provides good views across the heart of the historic university city, especially Radcliffe Square, the Radcliffe Camera, Brasenose College and All Souls College.

A church was established on this site, at the centre of the old walled city, in Anglo-Saxon times; records of 1086 note the church as previously belonging to an estate held by Aubrey de Coucy, likely Iffley, and the parish including part of Littlemore.

In the early days of Oxford University, the church was adopted as the first building of the university, congregation met there from at least 1252, and by the early 13th century it was the seat of university government and was used for lectures and the award of degrees. Around 1320 a two storey building was added to the north side of the chancel — the ground floor (now the Vaults cafe) became the "convocation" house used by university parliament, and the upper storey housed books bequeathed by Thomas Cobham, Bishop of Worcester, which formed the first university library.


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