St Bene't's Church
| St Bene't's Church, Cambridge | |
|---|---|
St Bene't's Church with its Anglo-Saxon tower | |
| 52°12′13.0″N 0°07′06.0″E / 52.203611°N 0.118333°E | |
| Location | Bene't Street , Cambridge |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | https://www.stbenetschurch.org |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | c.1020 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Parish church |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed |
| Specifications | |
| Tower height | 70ft |
| Bells | 6 |
| Tenor bell weight | 13-3-3 in F# (700kg) |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of Ely |
| Archdeaconry | Archdeaconry of Cambridge |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop(s) | The Rt Revd Dagmar Winter, acting Bishop of Ely |
| Vicar(s) | The Rev’d Devin Shepard McLachlan |
| Curate(s) | The Rev’d Edward Cearns |
| Laity | |
| Churchwarden(s) | Geoff Maitland, Joy Parke |
St Bene't's Church is a Church of England parish church in central Cambridge, England. Parts of the church, most notably the tower, are Anglo-Saxon, and it is the oldest church in Cambridgeshire as well as the oldest building in Cambridge.
The church is dedicated to Saint Benedict of Nursia, the founder of the Benedictine order of monasticism. Bene't is an attempt to reconcile the Anglo-Norman name Benet with the Latin (and modern English) form of the saint's name Benedict. Latin documents from the 13th and 14th century refer to "ecclesie sancti Benedicti" while a contract (in English) of 6 June 1452 for a new roof referred to the "cherche of seynt Bennettys". Lyne's map of Cambridge of 1574 shows "Benett Ch" while Loggan's map of 1688 shows "St Bennetts Church". In the 19th century the church was variously referred to as being of "St Benedict", "St Benet" or "St Bene't". Modern usage is either "St Benet" or "St Bene't".