Church of St Mark, Mark

The Church of St Mark stands in the village of Mark, Somerset, on ground that has been sacred for centuries. The present building began in the 13th century and grew through the 14th and 15th, with a final restoration in 1864. It is listed Grade I, the highest recognition for historic buildings. A chapel may have stood here as early as the 12th century, and the church was first dedicated by William, Bishop of Bath and Wells, in April 1268. The dedication changed to St Mark in 1853, then back to Holy Cross in 1939. Over the years the nave, choir and tower were added or enlarged. Inside, the nave has a barrel roof carved with the heads of religious figures. The choir contains a wooden sculpture of the Four Evangelists made in 1524 by a Belgian sculptor named André for St Salvator’s Cathedral in Bruges. In 1794 the sculpture was moved to Mark. The tower, built around 1407, holds a peal of eight bells and a clock that marks Queen Victoria’s jubilee of 1887. Outside, the churchyard preserves a 15th-century market cross. The church belongs to the benefice of Mark with Allerton and sits within the Axbridge deanery. Its walls and fittings tell the story of eight hundred years of worship and change. Visitors walk past medieval stonework and early modern woodwork, each piece placed where it has stood for generations.