York, England, was home to many churches in medieval times. A tax return of 1428 listed 39 in the city, excluding monasteries, chapels and chantries. Now there are just 19 medieval churches left. Each of these is unique in its way, each has its own history. One of these is St Helen’s church.
St Helena and Constantine the Great
St Helen’s church, more accurately called St Helen Stonegate, is a subtle and unexpected treasure. Located in St Helen’s Square in the heart of York city centre, the church is dedicated to St Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great, and almost certainly sits above the remains of significant Roman buildings.
Roman York
It’s no secret that York was once a major Roman stronghold. With Roman headquarters located under what is now the south transept of York Minster, it was an ideal place from which to manage the administration of the north of England. Constantine the Great, Helena’s son, was proclaimed Emperor in York, in 306 AD.
Stonegate York
Stonegate, an essentially medieval street in modern day York, lies on the line of a former Roman road, the Via Praetoria, which led to the Roman HQ. Today, that road lies approximately six feet below street level. Stonegate, one of the most popular streets in York for visitors, lies next to St Helen’s Church and figures strongly in its history.
Medieval churches and stained glass
York has been a major centre for stained glass for many years. In medieval times, a number of glass painters were based in Stonegate and St Helen’s was their church. The badge (arms) of the Glaziers’ Guild (The Worshipful Company of Glaziers) is featured in one of the church windows.
In York as a whole, much stained glass was lost over time, although probably with less intent than occurred elsewhere, particularly in the 16th and 17th centuries. St Helen's church website notes that in 1923 J A Knowles, the glass restorer and historian placed a glass memorial plaque to the Glaziers' Guild outside St Helen’s church, but this was destroyed in the air raid of 29 April 1942.
Visitors to the church should be sure to view the easily overlooked west window, by looking up before leaving the church. The mid 14th century stained glass is likely to be a composite and includes images of St Helena and possibly Constantine the Great.
Churches of York: St Helen’s Church
St Helen’s church itself is also a composite. The earliest reference to it is in 1235 and it has been rebuilt many times, including twice in the nineteenth century. Restorers reused the stone and were faithful to what previously existed.
One of the most interesting features of the church is a mid-12th century Baptismal font. There are suggestions that the church is of pre-Conquest origin (ie: from before 1066), its alignment matching the presumed alignment of the Anglo-Saxon Minster. It is thought that the church was originally built in wood, then rebuilt in stone, either around or before the mid-12th century.
St Helen’s Church and St Helen’s Square
The church today has a prominent position in St Helen’s Square, next to Stonegate and opposite Bettys teashop. St Helen’s Square was once St Helen’s churchyard, until bought by the Corporation of York in 1732 and paved over in 1745. This was part of the wider redevelopment of the area around the church, including the Mansion House, which faced St Helen’s, and the Assembly Rooms in Blake Street. Purchase of the square linked Davygate with Blake Street, and resulted in the removal of bones and tombstones from the graveyard to another burial ground in Davygate (which still exists).
According to St Helen's church website, the ground level in the churchyard was high due to the many burials; some of the earth removed from the site was then used to raise the floor of the church. A path ran across the churchyard, and Coney Street joined Stonegate in a way they don’t now. The place where they met was rather dubiously known as Cuckold’s Corner.
Today the site sports pleasanter features such as street entertainers and a tree at Christmas. There are also seats to view the bustling Stonegate and its associated church, St Helen Stonegate.
Which is a truly eclectic church with a distinctive history.
Sources
- Medieval Churches in York [leaflet]. First Stop York, 2004.
- Nuttgens, Patrick. York. London: Studio Vista, 1970.
- St Helen’s Church website
- York City Centre Churches [leaflet]. CoRE, 2009.
Ellie Stevenson - Ellie writes on history, travel, careers & the arts. Her novel, Ship of Haunts (http://tinyurl.com/cyryp2m) is on Amazon as an ebook.
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