Dancing King Stories: St. Martin-in-the-Fields, and the Crypt

Trafalgar Square in London is highlighted by three landmarks – the statue of Nelson in the square itself, the National Gallery on north side, and St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church at the northeast corner.

At ground level, you have to look up (way up) to see Nelson atop his column. The National Gallery is huge, running the entire length of the square, including both the original building and the relatively new (and contemporary) Sainsbury Wing. St. Martin’s, however, has always seemed the most striking building, perhaps because of its steeple and its architecture, which has inspired thousands of church buildings in the United States.

The church is named for St. Martin, born about 316 A.D. in what is now Hungary and right when Christianity was legalized in the Roman Empire by Constantine. He was originally in the Roman army but left because of his faith and settled at Poitiers in France, where he founded the first monastery in France. The monastery lasted until the French Revolution in 1789.

To continue reading, please see my post today at Dancing Priest.

Top photograph of St, Martin-in-the-Fields, London, by Robert Cutts via Wikimedia.