St. Mary-in-Castro, 1000, Kent England

St. Marys

St. Mary-in-Castro is a Romanesque church located in Kent, England constructed in approximately 1000 A.D. However there is some debate that the church was constructed in 600 A.D. The church still stands today, mainly used as a museum.

Romanesque architecture is the period of architecture from approximately 1000 to 1150. Influenced by roman structures across Europe and the political instability at the time. Due to this instability and the memory of invasions, Romanesque architecture is characterized be heavy, load bearing walls, small windows and the use of roman arches, pillars and groin vaults. ^[1]

Plan View

The church is located on the grounds of Dover Castle. The castle was built atop a hill and fortified using large stone walls and earthwork. The castle was built by King Henry II in the 12^th century and is England’s largest castle

The church, like the Roman basilica, is cruciform in plan. However the church does not have side aisles. At the center of the church stands a large stone tower, one of the largest at the time of its construction. The walls are load bearing, constructed from flint, stone and tile. The façade has uncharacteristic quoin work created from the adjacent Roman tower.

The interior has been through several renovations but the two, large stone arches that anchor the nave appear to be original. The aisle roof is a wood framed, barrel vault, while the transept roof is gambrel. Oddly, the tower and chancel ceiling are groin vaulted, believed to be added in the early 11^th century by King Henry the III.

St. Marys and adjacent Roman Lighthouse

[1] Roth Leland M. and Amanda C. Roth Clark, Understanding Architecutre Its Elements, History, and Meaning, Third Edition Westview Press 2014. P.365