| Holy Trinity, Stratford-upon-Avon | |
 Holy Trinity's east
window from the exterior, depicting St Andrew
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| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Broad Church |
| Website | www.stratford-upon-avon.org/index.html |
| History | |
| Dedication | Holy Trinity |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Stratford-upon-Avon |
| Diocese | Coventry |
| Province | Canterbury |
| Clergy | |
| Vicar(s) | The Revd Martin Gorick The Revd David Banbury |
| Curate(s) | The Revd Margaret Sweet |
| Laity | |
| Organist/Director of music | Andrew Jones |
The Collegiate Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, Stratford-upon-Avon is a Grade I listed[1] parish church of the Church of England in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England.
Contents |
It is often known simply as Shakespeare's Church, due to its fame as the place of baptism and burial of William Shakespeare. More than 200,000 tourists visit the church each year.[2]
The present building dates from 1210 and is built on the site of a Saxon monastery. It is Stratford's oldest building, in a striking position on the banks of the River Avon, and has long been England's most visited parish church.
Holy Trinity contains many interesting features, including:
The carved scenes of the life of Jesus around Balsall's tomb were mutilated during the Reformation, as were most images of Christ. Notable 'survivors' include a remarkable face of Christ or possibly God the Father within a sedilia canopy, and some beautiful medieval stained glass depicting the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ and the Day of Pentecost. The pre-reformation stone altar slab or mensa was found hidden beneath the floor in Victorian times and has now been re-instated as the High Altar.
The church has a large three manual pipe organ which dates from 1841 by the organ builder William Hill. It has undergone several restorations by Hill Norman and Beard, and Nicholson. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.
The organ case was designed by George Frederick Bodley and Thomas Garner.
See also the List of Organ Scholars at Holy Trinity Church, Stratford.
The church is open to visitors for much of the year. A small contribution is requested to access the chancel and sanctuary in which Shakespeare is buried. Holy Trinity is a member of the Greater Churches Group. The Royal Shakespeare Company performed Henry VIII in the church in 2006 as part of the Complete Works Festival. It is an active parish church serving a parish of some 17,000 people.
William Shakespeare, poet and playwright, was baptised in Holy Trinity on 26 April 1564 and was buried there on 25 April 1616. The church still possesses the original Elizabethan register giving details of his baptism and burial, though it is kept by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust for safekeeping. He is buried in the beautiful 15th-century chancel built by Thomas Balsall, Dean of the Collegiate Church, who was buried within it in 1491. Shakespeare's funerary monument is fixed on a wall alongside his burial place.
Shakespeare would have come to Holy Trinity every week when he was in town, i.e. all through his childhood and on his return to live at New Place. His wife Anne Hathaway is buried next to him along with his eldest daughter Susanna. The church witnessed a sad episode shortly before Shakespeare's death. The day after Shakespeare signed his Last Will and Testament on 25 March 1616 in a 'shaky hand', William's son-in-law, Thomas Quiney was found guilty in the church court of fathering an illegitimate son by a Margaret Wheler who had recently died in childbirth. Quiney was ordered to do public penance within the church. The distress and shame for the Shakespeare family must have been immense. Within a month Shakespeare was dead and his funeral and burial being held at Holy Trinity on 25 April 1616.
It is said that Shakespeare's body is buried 20 feet (approx. 7 metres) deep to prevent its theft. Above the grave, a badly eroded stone slab displays his epitaph:
It has been claimed by at least one textbook author that the warning has served to prevent both the removal of Shakespeare's body to Westminster Abbey and the exhumation of his body for examination.[6]
Coordinates: 52°11′12″N 1°42′27″W / 52.18667°N 1.7075°W
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