The Round Church

Built by the Fraternity of the Holy Sepulchre in 1130, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or Round Church is one of only four round churches in the UK. Inspired by the rotunda of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the structure in Cambridge consists of a round nave, small chancel and ambulatory. It was a wayfarer's chapel on the Via Devana (now Bridge Street) Roman road. The doorway features three rows of characteristic medieval colonettes and zig zag designs. Inside the nave are eight large columns and vaulting featuring some dog tooth designs. During the Civil War, idolatrous images and sculptures added in earlier centuries were destroyed and the church gradually fell into disrepair until the 19th century. The Victorians began restoration of the structure, returning it to something closer to its early medieval origins. Aisles were extended either side of the chancel. In 1994, the congregation outgrew the church and moved to St Andrew's over the road. During the Blitz of the Second World War, the east window was destroyed. It was replaced after the war depicting Chirst in majesty. There is a price for entry now, but fortunately it's fairly reasonable for students. Inside the ambulatory are many information boards detailing the rich history of Cambridge from the neolithic to the present.