St Bartholomew the Great

St Bartholomew-the-Great (often shortened to simply St Bart's) is one of London’s oldest and finest churches, founded in 1123 by the monk Rahere, whose tomb can be found inside the church. Rahere is said to have erected the church in gratitude to God after recovering from a fever. This miraculous recovery led to the church becoming famous for its supposed powers to cure, with sick people filling its aisles each St Bartholomew's Day.

The tomb of Rahere

The church was originally part of a priory adjoining St Bartholomew's Hospital, but while the hospital survived the Dissolution about half of the priory church was demolished in 1543. The 13th century arch, leading to the church from Smithfield, used to be the door to the church, but today leads into the churchyard. The half-timbered gatehouse above the arch dates from a later period. From the church door, a path leads you roughly along where the south aisle of the nave used to be. Parts of the cloister survive and may be seen from the path, but little else of the monastic building survives.

The 13th Century Arch

The Norman interior of St Bart's

The church is a popular location for filming and has appeared in the award-winning films Four Weddings and a Funeral, Shakespeare in Love and The End of the Affair.