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Welcome to the website of the Priory Church of Saint Bartholomew the Great
Saint Bartholomew the Great is one of London's oldest churches. Founded in 1123 as an Augustinian Priory, it has been in continuous use since 1143. It is an active Anglican/Episcopal Church in that part of London known as the City.
The Smithfield area, which includes St Bartholomew's Hospital and Smithfield Market, is popular because of its large number of restaurants, bars & pubs. At the heart of it all is a church built when Henry I, son of William the Conqueror, was King. It survived the Great Fire of 1666 and both World Wars unscathed.
Today the Church is noted for its wonderful architecture, traditional formal worship, marvellous music and intelligent preaching. It has also appeared in numerous films including Four Weddings and a Funeral, Shakespeare in Love, Amazing Grace, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, and The Other Boleyn Girl, as well as in numerous television programmes, including The Hollow Crown.
The Reverend Martin Dudley BD MSc MTh PhD FSA FRHistS AKC is the 25th Rector of the Priory Church since the Reformation.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
NEW! Cloister Café Open for Breakfast
Beginning on Tuesday, 7th May, 2013, the Cloister Café will be opening on weekdays from 8:30am for a delicious breakfast. Food will continue to be served throughout the day until "last orders" at 4:30pm. Details of opening hours, including any variations caused by filming or other activities, are always available here on the website.
This may be especially convenient for those attending the 8:30am weekday Communions (details below)
providing an opportunity to have breakfast with us at the end of the service.
Orchestral Music at Evensong
Evensong on Sunday, 23rd June, 2013 at 6.30pm will be slightly different. At last year's Remembrance Sunday, the conductor Tom Seligman (Royal Ballet, New York City Ballet, English National Ballet, and numerous other organizations) brought a group of string players to perform Metamorphosen by Richard Strauss at the end of Evensong. Tom will be returning on June 23rd to lead his players in the Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis by Ralph Vaughan Williams at the same point in Evensong. As before, there will be no sermon at this service. Nigel Short is arranging a special program of complementary repertoire to be sung during Evensong itself. These are magical occasions, when wordless music replaces speech and allows us all a space for personal reflection.
NEW! City of London Festival at the Priory Church
The City of London Festival will be coming to the Priory Church once again in June and July this year. Please note, the church will be closed all day on June 24th while the building is prepared and rehearsals take place.
The programme of events in the church this year will be as follows:
How Like An Angel: Circa & I Fagiolini – The brochure says: "Circa's exhilerating brand of contemporary circus meets the exquisite sound of I Fagiolini in an event designed to celebrate the atmosphere of St Bartholomew the Great." Performances will take place as follows:
Tue 25th June at 9pm, Wed 26th June at 8pm and 10pm, Thu 27th June at 9pm, Fri 28th June at 8pm and 10pm.
Philip Higham: Cello Suite no 3 BWV 1009 – J.S. Bach and Suite No 3 for solo cello Op. 87 – Britten
Performance: Fri 5th July at 6pm
To book online for these events please visit colf.org (reduced booking fee applies).
To book by phone please call the Barbican box office on 0845 120 7502.
More information and online booking can be found by clicking on this link to go to http://www.colf.org/
Medieval Liturgy Eucharist
On Saturday, 29th June, 2013 at 7pm we will be holding a special Medieval Liturgy Eucharist for the Feast of S. Peter the Apostle. The church will be rearranged to provide an appropriate physical layout, and the liturgy will reflect the way that a Mass would have been celebrated on this day in 1539, just a few months before the dissolution of the Priory in October that year. The music is also being selected from works that could have been used on that day.
More details will be posted soon and all are most welcome to attend.
Patronal Festival and Feast of Dedication
On Sunday, 25th August, 2013 we will be celebrating the Priory Church's annual Patronal Festival. S.Bartholomew's Day is the previous day, and we mark the occasion on the most convenient Sunday. The 11:00am service on the 25th will be a Solemn Pontifical Eaucharist – i.e. celebrated by a Bishop. This day also marks the end of our summer programme, when full scale music resumes after a month of comparatively reduced repertoire. The following Sunday, September 1st, 2013 we will be celebrating the Feast of Dedication, in which we particularly think of the founding of the church, 890 years ago this year. We can count on some especially exciting music on both Sundays.
More details to follow.
Founder's Dinner
This year, one of the ways that we will be celebrating 890 years of the Priory Church is by reviving the tradition of an annual Founder's Dinner held at the convenient and coincidentally appropriately named Founders' Hall, the building just beyond the east end our Lady Chapel. This will be held on Friday, 20th September, 2013 at 7:00pm.
Further details, including price & ticket arrangements, will be posted soon.
Click the links below to view
Music Notes for Trinity Sunday
Music Notes Archive 2012/2013
| Church Diary 20th May to 25th May 2013 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mon 20th May | S. Alcuin of York, 804 | |
| 8:30am–5:00pm | Church open | |
| 8:30am–5:00pm | NEW! Cloister Café open (breakfast from 8:30am; food available all day until 4:30pm) | |
| Tue 21st May | 8:30am–5:00pm | Church open |
| 8:30am–5:00pm | NEW! Cloister Café open (breakfast from 8:30am; food available all day until 4:30pm) | |
| Wed 22nd May | 8:30am–5:00pm | Church open |
| 8:30am–5:00pm | NEW! Cloister Café open (breakfast from 8:30am; food available all day until 4:30pm) | |
| Thu 23rd May | All Day: | Church closed for filming We apologise for any inconvenience |
| Please note there is no Holy Communion this morning | ||
| 8:30am–5:00pm | PLEASE NOTE: Changed arrangement! Cloister Café open (breakfast from 8:30am; food available all day until 4:30pm) |
|
| 6:30pm–8:00pm | Bell Ringing | |
| Fri 24th May | 8:30am–5:00pm | Church open |
| 8:30am | Holy Communion (in the Lady Chapel) Please note changed date A modestly priced breakfast is available after the service in the Cloister Café |
|
| 8:30am–5:00pm | NEW! Cloister Café open (breakfast from 8:30am; food available all day until 4:30pm) | |
| 11:30am | Wedding Blessing Watabe & Higashitani |
|
| Sat 25th May | S.Bede the Venerable, 735 | |
| 10:30am–4:00pm | Church open – Cloister Café closed all day | |
| 3:00pm | Wedding Luke Solon & Samantha Gallivan |
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Sunday, 26th May 2013, Trinity Sunday The church is open 8:30am–8:00pm 9:00am |
Holy Communion | Preacher: The Revd Dr Martin Dudley, The Rector 9:30am–1:30pm |
Cloister Café open |
10:00am |
Family Eucharist with hymns (at S. Bartholomew the Less) | Preacher: The Revd Mark Young, The Pastor 10:50am |
Prelude & Solemn Eucharist – Please note the special start time |
In the presence of the Lord Mayor & Lady Mayoress on the Occasion of their Wedding Anniversary Please note: all are most welcome at this service Prelude: Dieu parmi nous – Messiaen Introit: I was glad – Parry Setting: Mass for Four Voices – Byrd Alleluia: Plainchant & Alleluias from Haec Dies – Byrd Preacher: The Revd Dr Martin Dudley, The Rector At the Offertory: Antiphon – Vaughan Williams Communion Anthem 1: Hear my Prayer – Purcell Communion Anthem 2: Alma Mater Redemptoris – Palestrina Communion Anthem 3: The Lord's Prayer – Tavener Voluntary: March Triomphale: Nun danket alle Gott – Karg-Elert Click this link for the Music Notes for Trinity Sunday 5:00pm–6:30pm |
Cloister Café open |
6:30pm |
Procession, Choral Evensong & Sermon |
Canticles: Evening Service in A – Stanford Anthem: I saw the Lord – Stainer Preacher: The Revd Dr Martin Dudley, The Rector Voluntary: Allegro (Sonata Celtica) – Stanford Click this link for the Music Notes for Trinity Sunday |
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| Church Diary 27th May to 1st June 2013 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mon 27th May | 8:30am–5:00pm | Church open |
| 8:30am–5:00pm | NEW! Cloister Café open (breakfast from 8:30am; food available all day until 4:30pm) | |
| Tue 28th May | 8:30am–5:00pm | Church open |
| 8:30am–5:00pm | NEW! Cloister Café open (breakfast from 8:30am; food available all day until 4:30pm) | |
| 11:30am | Visit of the English Catholic History Association & Lunch in the Cloister Café (the Café remains open to the public) |
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| Wed 29th May | 8:30am–5:00pm | Church open |
| 8:30am–5:00pm | NEW! Cloister Café open (breakfast from 8:30am; food available all day until 4:30pm) | |
| 11:15am | Visit from Regent's University | |
| Thu 30th May | 8:30am–5:00pm | Church open |
| 8:30am | Holy Communion (in the Lady Chapel) A modestly priced breakfast is available after the service in the Cloister Café | |
| 8:30am–5:00pm | NEW! Cloister Café open (breakfast from 8:30am; food available all day until 4:30pm) | |
| 10:30am | Visit from Radford University | 6:30pm | Church Visit & Drinks in the Cloister Café |
| Fri 31st May | The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary | |
| 8:30am–5:00pm | Church open | |
| 8:30am–5:00pm | NEW! Cloister Café open (breakfast from 8:30am; food available all day until 4:30pm) | |
| Sat 1st June | S. Justin, Martyr, c.167 | |
| 10:30am–4:00pm | Church open – Cloister Café closed all day | |
| 3:00pm | Wedding O'Keeffe & Curtis |
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Sunday, 2nd June 2013, Corpus et Sanguinis Christi The church is open 8:30am–8:00pm 9:00am |
Holy Communion | Preacher: The Revd Mark Young, The Pastor 9:30am–1:30pm |
Cloister Café open |
10:00am |
Family Eucharist with hymns (at S. Bartholomew the Less) | Preacher: The Revd Mark Young, The Pastor 11:00am |
Solemn Eucharist |
Setting: Missa Caro mea – Clemens non Papa Preacher: The Revd Mark Young – The Pastor At the Offertory: Cibavit eos – Byrd Voluntary: Toccata per Elevatione – Frescobaldi 5:00pm–6:30pm |
Cloister Café open |
6:30pm |
Choral Evensong with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament |
Canticles: Second Service – Byrd Anthem: O sacrum convivium – Tallis Anthem: Ave verum Corpus – Byrd Voluntary: Fantasia (from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book) – Byrd |
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