Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Round Church) in the UK, resort Cambridge
Rating: 8,0/10 (1704 votes)  Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Round Church) is an old church in the center of Cambridge, UK.
The church was built in 1130 and is one of the oldest buildings in the city. The church was modeled after the rotunda in the Jerusalem Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Only four round medieval churches have survived in Great Britain, one of them in Cambridge.
The round church was built with the help and funds of the brotherhood of the Holy Sepulcher. Information about this brotherhood has not reached our days, but researchers believe that the members of the brotherhood are related to the Crusades to the Holy Land, along with the Templars and Hospitallers.
It was originally a hiker's chapel on a busy road. By the middle of the XIII century, it became a parish. During the 15th century, the round church of the Holy Sepulcher was significantly reconstructed: the Norman windows were replaced by large Gothic ones, and a polygonal belfry was added. Over the centuries, the church fell into decay, by the middle of the 19th century, it fell into a deplorable state. Restoration work was started under the leadership of Anthony Salvin, who replaced the bell tower with a roof similar in shape to the original, because the walls could not bear the weight of the belfry that had grown. Gothic windows from the 15th century were replaced back with Norman ones, the outer gallery was removed, as was the staircase leading to it. The researchers say this was the best restoration done with great care.
Today services in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher are not held; it no longer accommodates all parishioners. The services were transferred to the nearby Church of St. Andrew. In the Round Church there is an exhibition"The Influence of Christianity in England", various concerts and lectures are held, and summer schools operate.
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