Cradle of the Reformation

There are multiple Churches and Chapels in Cambridge, serving the University and Town, one of those is the Royal Peculiar and Anglican Church, of St Edward King and Martyr.  Edward was King of England from 975 until his martyrdom in 978.

The present Church was founded in the 13th century, although substantially rebuilt in around the year 1400.  An anglo-saxon church is believed to have stood on the site originally. 

Fulfilling the SSIM duties there has an added poignancy because it was in this building at the Christmas Midnight Mass of 1525 that Robert Barnes, Prior of the Austin Friars convent in Cambridge preached a sermon in which he accused the Catholic Church of heresy.  Scholars believe this is the first openly protestant sermon preached in any English Church.  English reformers often met there and in the years following 1525 many of the infamous names of English protestantism preached there, including Hugh Latimer.  For these reasons St Edward's is often referred to as the Cradle of the Reformation, although undergraduates still refer to it as Teddy's.

What an ideal place, consecrated as it was with the Holy Chrism as a place where the Catholic Mass was to be celebrated daily for the 'quick and the dead', to offer prayers of reparation for all that happened to undermine England's ancient title of Dowry of Mary.

Incidentally in the large and impressive cemetry at Brookwood in Surrey, there is an Orthodox Monastery, which was established in 1982 to house and care for the relics of St Edward, King and Martyr.  It is well worth a visit and you can see there blog here.