St Benet Gracechurch

St Benet Gracechurch stood in the City of London at the corner of Gracechurch Street and Fenchurch Street. First recorded in the 11th century, it was one of four London churches dedicated to St Benedict of Nursia. The name ‘Gracechurch’ came from a nearby hay market. The medieval church survived until the Great Fire of 1666, when only the tower remained. Sir Christopher Wren’s office rebuilt it between 1681 and 1687. By 1868 the building was demolished to widen the street. The church’s history includes royal and civic connections. In 1553 churchwardens paid to remove Protestant texts painted during Edward VI’s reign. Records mention a Te Deum sung for a hoped-for royal birth under Mary I. John Sturgeon, Chamberlain of London, was buried there in 1571. Queen Elizabeth I once had a monument in the church. After the Great Fire, the rebuilt church cost £4,583 and reached 149 feet with a tall spire. Visitors today find no trace of the church. The site is now a modern office block at the busy street junction. The pulpit was moved to St Olave Hart Street. Burials were reburied at Manor Park Cemetery. The parish still exists within a larger combined church. The area remains a busy part of the City’s financial district.