In our earliest days, the Blessed Virgin Mary made her only recorded appearance in London here and, since then, we have witnessed key moments in history: William Wallace and Wat Tyler were executed on our doorstep, as were religious martyrs of the Reformation. William Hogarth was baptized here; John Betjeman was a parishioner; and Benjamin Franklin once toiled in the printer’s workshop in the site now occupied by the Lady Chapel.

Adopted by several of the City Livery companies and a favourite location for filmmakers from Richard Curtis to Marvel, Great St Bart’s is a friendly, ecclesiastical, and artistic centre at the heart of London. Our growing congregation, in-person and online, is drawn by an innovative combination of tradition and technology, which speaks to a modern, forward-thinking community of worshippers, heritage enthusiasts and music lovers.

Originally founded as a single institution by Rahere, Henry I’s courtier, St Bartholomew’s Hospital and the Priory Church of St Bartholomew the Great were separated at the Reformation. Even so, they remain intimately linked, not only in the prayerful presence of St Bart’s the Less but also in the recently restored office of Hospitaller, the second priest of the parish who spends half his time ministering in the hospital. You can read more about the history of this extraordinary church here.