The
Holy Sepulchre, commonly known as
The Round Church, is a church on the corner of Round Church Street and
Bridge StreetBridge Street is a historic street in the north of central Cambridge, England. It runs between Magdalene Street at the junction with Thompson's Lane to the northwest and Sidney Street at the junction with Jesus Lane to the southeast...
in the north of central
CambridgeThe city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. It is also at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen....
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
11th century
CrusadersThe Crusades were a series of religiously-sanctioned military campaigns waged by much of Latin Christian Europe, particularly the Franks of France and the Holy Roman Empire. The specific crusades to restore Christian control of the Holy Land were fought over a period of nearly 200 years, between...
to the
Holy LandThe Holy Land , generally refers to the geographical region of the Levant called Land of Canaan or Land of Israel in the Bible, and constitutes the Promised land...
would have seen the Holy Sepulchre, located near the centre of
JerusalemJerusalem is the capital of Israel and its largest city in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if disputed East Jerusalem is included...
. It was a
round churchA round church is a special type of church construction, having a completely circular plan. Round churches are often found in Sweden and Denmark and were popular church constructions in Scandinavia in the 11th and early 12th centuries.An example of a Swedish round church is Hedvig Eleonora Church...
supported on eighteen columns or piers with an
ambulatoryThe ambulatory is the covered passage around a cloister. The term is sometimes applied to the procession way around the east end of a cathedral or large church and behind the high altar.-Architectural context:Aisles that line the nave extend through the transept and continue in a half-circle that...
around the perimeter on the west of the church, and the well attested site of
Christ'sChrist is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed". It is a translation of the Hebrew . The term "Christ" was a title rather than a proper name. In the four gospels in the New Testament, the word "Christ" is nearly always preceded by the definite article...
tomb at the centre.
The
Holy Sepulchre, commonly known as
The Round Church, is a church on the corner of Round Church Street and
Bridge StreetBridge Street is a historic street in the north of central Cambridge, England. It runs between Magdalene Street at the junction with Thompson's Lane to the northwest and Sidney Street at the junction with Jesus Lane to the southeast...
in the north of central
CambridgeThe city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. It is also at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen....
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Origin
11th century
CrusadersThe Crusades were a series of religiously-sanctioned military campaigns waged by much of Latin Christian Europe, particularly the Franks of France and the Holy Roman Empire. The specific crusades to restore Christian control of the Holy Land were fought over a period of nearly 200 years, between...
to the
Holy LandThe Holy Land , generally refers to the geographical region of the Levant called Land of Canaan or Land of Israel in the Bible, and constitutes the Promised land...
would have seen the Holy Sepulchre, located near the centre of
JerusalemJerusalem is the capital of Israel and its largest city in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if disputed East Jerusalem is included...
. It was a
round churchA round church is a special type of church construction, having a completely circular plan. Round churches are often found in Sweden and Denmark and were popular church constructions in Scandinavia in the 11th and early 12th centuries.An example of a Swedish round church is Hedvig Eleonora Church...
supported on eighteen columns or piers with an
ambulatoryThe ambulatory is the covered passage around a cloister. The term is sometimes applied to the procession way around the east end of a cathedral or large church and behind the high altar.-Architectural context:Aisles that line the nave extend through the transept and continue in a half-circle that...
around the perimeter on the west of the church, and the well attested site of
Christ'sChrist is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed". It is a translation of the Hebrew . The term "Christ" was a title rather than a proper name. In the four gospels in the New Testament, the word "Christ" is nearly always preceded by the definite article...
tomb at the centre. There would have been four
apsethumb|250px|Triple apse of [[Basilica di Santa Giulia]], northern [[Italy]].In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
s at each of the cardinal points, and on the east side there would have been a facade, so that the east
apsethumb|250px|Triple apse of [[Basilica di Santa Giulia]], northern [[Italy]].In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
was accessible directly from the
rotundaA rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, often covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
.
Design
The Holy Sepulchre in Cambridge, built around 1130, was inspired by the original church of the Holy Sepulchre in
JerusalemJerusalem is the capital of Israel and its largest city in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if disputed East Jerusalem is included...
.
The entrance of the church is on the west, through a round-arched doorway. The rotunda is supported by eight large round piers, and the
ambulatoryThe ambulatory is the covered passage around a cloister. The term is sometimes applied to the procession way around the east end of a cathedral or large church and behind the high altar.-Architectural context:Aisles that line the nave extend through the transept and continue in a half-circle that...
is
vaultedA Vault is an architectural term for an arched form used to provide a space with a ceiling or roof. The parts of a vault exert a thrust that require a counter resistance. When vaults are built underground, the ground gives all the resistance required...
with a gallery above. The piers support Norman round arches and there is
NormanThe term Norman architecture is used to categorise styles of Romanesque architecture developed by the Normans in the various lands under their dominion or influence in the 11th and 12th centuries. In particular the term is traditionally used for English Romanesque architecture...
dog-tooth or zig-zag decoration throughout.
There are some pictures and a description at the Cambridgeshire Churches website .
Alterations
In the 15th century, the central tower was altered, but by the 19th century the church was in disrepair and a restoration, intended to be in keeping with the original Norman design, was carried out.
Congregation
The congregation of the Round Church outgrew this building, and since 1994 has met at St Andrew the Great, a short distance away in the centre of Cambridge.
Sources