Church of St Mary the Great, Cambridge

Great St Mary's
Church of St Mary the Great
Church of St Mary the Great
Great St Mary's is located in Central Cambridge
Great St Mary's
Great St Mary's
Location in central Cambridge
52°12′19″N 0°07′06″E / 52.2053°N 0.1182°E / 52.2053; 0.1182
LocationGreat St Mary's, The University Church, Senate House Hill, Cambridge, CB2 3PQ
CountryEngland
DenominationChurch of England
ChurchmanshipLiberal Catholic
Websitewww.greatstmarys.org
Architecture
StyleLate Perpendicular Gothic
Years built1478–1519
Specifications
Tower height114ft (34.7m)
Bells13 hung for change ringing (22 total)
Tenor bell weightTenor bell: 24-1-1 (1232kg) in D
Administration
DioceseEly
ArchdeaconryCambridge
DeaneryCambridge North
ParishSt. Mary The Great with St. Michael, Cambridge
Clergy
Priest in chargeThe Revd Jutta Brueck

St Mary the Great is a Church of England parish and university church at the north end of King's Parade in central Cambridge, England. It is known locally as Great St Mary's or simply GSM to distinguish it from "Little St Mary's". It is one of the Greater Churches. It is designated by Historic England as a Grade I listed building.[1]

In addition to being a parish church in the Diocese of Ely, it is the university church for the University of Cambridge. As such it has a role in the university's legislation. For example, university officers must live within 20 miles of Great St Mary's[2] and undergraduates within three.[3] The church also hosts the "University Sermons" and houses the University Organ and the University Clock. The latter chimes the "Cambridge Quarters" which were later used by the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament ("Big Ben").

  1. ^ Historic England. "Church of St Mary the Great, Cambridge (1126084)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  2. ^ "Chapter XI: University Offices and Grants of Title" (PDF). Ordinances of the University of Cambridge. p. 680. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  3. ^ "Chapter II: Matriculation, Residence, Admission to Degrees, Discipline, Conduct, Complaints" (PDF). Ordinances of the University of Cambridge. p. 178. Retrieved 8 February 2023.