Four Dover Churches
GUSTON PARISH CHURCH
Saint Martin of Tours
The Church is dedicated to St Martin of Tours, one of the Patron
saints of France.
He was probably born in 316 AD, in what is now Hungary, and was
a Roman Army Officer until his life took a dramatic change at the
age of 20; On seeing a beggar freezing in the cold, he cut his Army
cloak in two and shared it with the poor man. That night, in a
dream, Martin saw Christ as the beggar whom he had helped. Martin
converted to Christianity and preached throughout Italy and France
before devoting his life to Christ as a hermit. From his generosity
in sharing his cloak, he has been taken as the patron saint of
innkeepers, so that for Guston, it is perhaps appropriate that the
key to the church is held in the Chance Inn Pub!
Guston church is listed by English Heritage as Grade II*, one of
only 6 per cent of the most architecturally significant buildings
in the country as, apart from some minor alterations, it has
survived much as it was built. It was built around 1190 AD as a
rural church on a holding that belonged to Dover Priory, now Dover
College. The outstanding features, are the main doorway and the
original Norman windows in the Chancel behind the altar, which are
of particular note.
www.gustonparishchurch.org.uk
Within easy reach of Dover Market Square lie three churches,
differing in character and history, but each bearing the
characteristic stamp of the town's civic and spiritual loyalty to
Church and State, historic pride and sense of community.
ST MARY-THE-VIRGIN
Inextricably woven into the life of the town is her civic
Church, ST MARY-THE-VIRGIN. Standing a little aslant to the road,
its squat spire rising above a three-tier tower, it has been a
landmark since the middle ages, growing, changing in tune with the
fashions of the day - for it has been extended, refashioned,
refurbished or renewed by succeeding generations.
Its Norman pillars recall its 11th/12th century origins, but it
was at the dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century that
Henry VIII gave it to the people of Dover for their parish church.
St Mary's has long been at the very centre of the life of the town,
for in the 18th century, elections and annual council meetings in
which the whole town (then much smaller) took part, were held in
the Church, and in the 19th century the Mayor and Corporation had
their own gallery over the south aisle. Now, in its stained glass,
flags and inscriptions, the Church displays the town's historic
past, its sorrows, endurance and civic pride. The medieval Maison
Dieu hospital, the first school in 1616, the deep water harbour and
dock, the Southern Railway, the heroic events of wars in which the
town played no mean part, the Zeebrugge tragedy of 1987 - by which
few families in the area were left untouched - are all commemorated
here. From the road you can see through the fine plate glass doors
up the aisle to the altar itself, and this expresses well St Mary's
role at the heart of the town, for you can find the town's
processions on Remembrance Day, Good Friday and Port Sunday here,
and the Men of Kent, Red Cross, Townwomen's Guild, Trinity Pilots
and others all celebrate their annual thanksgiving services here.
St Mary's is open 0900 - 1200 in winter and to 1600 in summer.
ST PAUL'S CHURCH
ST PAUL'S CATHOLIC CHURCH bears witness to the loyalty of the
Dover Christian community. In October 1988 clergy and laity of all
denominations attended a mass to celebrate the restoration of the
Church: for a year before, a disastrous fire left the building a
smouldering ruin. On that day in 1987 the gathered crowd with
tearstained faces fell silent as Fr. Maher brought from the smoking
building the Ciborium with the Host intact, uncharred, whilst the
shock waves that went through the town and countryside brought
offers of help and money from all sides.
The Catholic community has its roots in refugees from the French
Revolution, and within a generation the building of St Paul's on
the present site began. Then, as today, the whole complex of
Catholic life with its schools and convents formed part of the
vital infrastructure of the Dover Area. The restored Church is the
work of local craftsmen. We still see the familiar exterior, but
the Sanctuary and rose window are strikingly topical in their use
of symbols of the sea, as is the fresco commemorating the loss of
the Herald at Zeebrugge. Here is demonstrated the pain and blessing
at the heart of the Christian life - the keynote of this simple and
beautiful Church.
ST EDMUND'S ECUMENICAL CHAPEL
With ST EDMUND'S CHAPEL we turn back the pages of history to the
days when this whole area of Dover lay outside the town walls. Here
in 1131 the Priory of St Martin was established, whose monastic
buildings and farm gave hospitality to travellers on the busy road
through Dover. Here, and later in the 13th century Maison Dieu, the
monks also cared for pilgrims journeying to the English and
continental shrines. Any who fell sick, for the journey was hard,
they nursed, and any who died they buried in the Poor People's
Cemetery which they had established facing the monastery walls.
Here the little chapel was built, and in 1253 dedicated by St
Richard to St Edmund, this Chapel itself becoming a place of
pilgrimage. The Chapel's restoration and present ecumenical use
counterpoint the ongoing history of Christianity in Dover, for this
is a holy place once more made relevant in the midst of the bustle
of life by private prayer and public worship. The Saturday morning
Eucharist, the Christian Unity vigil, the candle-lit services for
the Feast Days of St Edmund and St Richard are all notable local
events.
