St Etheldreda's Church, London

St Etheldreda's Church, Ely Place
Exterior as viewed from Ely Place
Map
51°31′07″N 0°06′27″W / 51.5187°N 0.1074°W / 51.5187; -0.1074
LocationHolborn, London
CountryEngland
DenominationCatholic Church
Websitewww.stetheldreda.com
History
StatusActive
Founded1290
DedicationSaint Etheldreda
Architecture
Functional statusParish church
Heritage designationGrade I
Designated24 October 1951[1]
Administration
ArchdioceseWestminster
Interior of St Etheldreda's Upper Church, facing east towards the altar

St Etheldreda's Church is a Catholic church in Ely Place, off Charterhouse Street in Holborn, London. The building is one of only two surviving in London from the reign of Edward I, and dates from between 1250 and 1290. It is dedicated to Æthelthryth, or Etheldreda, the Anglo-Saxon saint who founded the monastery at Ely in 673. It was the chapel of the London residence of the Bishops of Ely.

In the early 17th century it served briefly as an embassy chapel for the Spanish Ambassador, and a haven for English Catholics. The chapel was purchased by the Catholic Church in 1874 and opened in 1878 and is one of the oldest churches in England to be in current use by the Catholic Church.

  1. ^ Historic England, "Catholic Church of St Etheldreda and attached walls and piers, Ely Place (1078287)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 28 July 2017