preaching St Paul's cross 16th century Cathedral London priest praying crowd court yard God Jesus bible holy testament old new C

preaching St Paul's cross 16th century Cathedral London priest praying crowd court yard God Jesus bible holy testament old new C Stock Photo
Preview

Image details

Contributor:

19th era / Alamy Stock Photo

Image ID:

B7PXKA

File size:

51.1 MB (4.3 MB Compressed download)

Releases:

Model - no | Property - noDo I need a release?

Dimensions:

3798 x 4700 px | 32.2 x 39.8 cm | 12.7 x 15.7 inches | 300dpi

More information:

St Paul's Cross (alternative spellings - "Powles Crosse") was a preaching cross and open air pulpit in the grounds of Old St Paul's Cathedral, City of London. Bishop Thomas Kempe rebuilt the cross in the late 15th century in grand architectural form, as an open air pulpit of mostly timber with room for 3 or 4 inside it, set on stone steps with a lead-covered roof and a low surrounding wall. From here was preached much of the English Reformation, along with many major events in London's history, with sermons preached here usually printed and thus redistributed to a wider audience. It was a speech here that triggered the 1517 Evil May Day anti-foreigner riots. Ultra-Lutheran Robert Barnes attacked Stephen Gardiner from it, and in 1566 Matthew Hutton, later Archbishop of York, preached here. The first sermon preached here after Catholic Queen Mary's accession (by Bishop Bourne) provoked a riot - a dagger was thrown at Bourne (but missed him, sticking in one of the side posts) and he had to be rushed to safety in St Paul's School. Thus, Mary's successor Elizabeth I kept the pulpit empty for a long time after her accession to keep the people from riot. However, when it finally came to Dr Samson's appearance at the Cross to announce Elizabeth's religious policy, the keys to the Cross's pulpit were found to be mislaid and, when the Lord Mayor ordered the door to be forced, it was found to be too dirty and badly maintained for use on this occasion. However, John Jewel was appointed the Cross's select preacher on 15 June 1559, and on 26 November that year challenged all comers to prove the Roman case out of the Scriptures, or the councils or Fathers for the first six hundred years after Christ.