Divinity School, Oxford
Encyclopedia
The Divinity School is a medieval building and room in the Perpendicular style in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...

, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, part of the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...

. Built 1427–83, it is the oldest surviving purpose-built building for university use, specifically for lectures and discussions on theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...

. It is no longer used for this purpose, although Oxford does offer degrees in divinity taught by its Faculty of Theology, which is housed at the Theology Faculty Centre, 41 St Giles', Oxford
St Giles', Oxford
St Giles is a wide street leading north from the centre of Oxford, England. At its northern end, the road divides into Woodstock Road to the left and Banbury Road to the right, both major roads through North Oxford. At the southern end, the road continues as Magdalen Street at the junction with...

.

The ceiling consists of very elaborate lierne vaulting
Lierne (vault)
A Lierne in Gothic rib vaulting is an architectural term for a tertiary rib spanning between two other ribs, instead of from a springer, or to the central boss...

 with bosses, designed by William Orchard
William Orchard (architect)
William Orchard was an English gothic architect, responsible for the elaborate pendant vaults of the Divinity School, Oxford and the chancel of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. He worked on the cloister and designed the Great Tower of Magdalen College, Oxford. He also designed the parish church of...

 in the 1480s.

The building is physically attached to the Bodleian Library
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library , the main research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library...

 and is also next to the Sheldonian Theatre
Sheldonian Theatre
The Sheldonian Theatre, located in Oxford, England, was built from 1664 to 1668 after a design by Christopher Wren for the University of Oxford. The building is named after Gilbert Sheldon, chancellor of the university at the time and the project's main financial backer...

 where students gain their degrees. At the far end from the Bodleian Library entrance, a door leads to Convocation House
Convocation House
The lower floor of the 1634–37 westward addition to the University of Oxford's Bodleian Library and Divinity School in Oxford, England, is known as Convocation House....

(built 1634–7).
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