St James, Jamestown
Encyclopedia
Saint James' Church is a church on the island of Saint Helena
and is part of the Anglican Diocese of Saint Helena. It is situated in the capital Jamestown
and is the oldest Anglican Church in the southern hemisphere; the present building was put up in 1774.
granted a new charter to the English
East India Company
in 1657, which gave the Company the right to fortify and colonize any of its establishments. Because of the strategic importance of St Helena as a fortress and staging post on the way home from India, the Company claimed the island on 5 May 1659. The building of the fort was commenced immediately and a little town sprang up in the valley with the chapel and was subsequently named Jamestown, after James, Duke of York
. The valley, now generally known as James Valley, was called either St James Valley or Chapel Valley, after the chapel which was a prominent building as viewed from the bay.
In 1671, the East India Company sent the first of a long sequence of Church of England
chaplains. The early, modest little church was replaced by a slightly bigger one in 1674, but was only later named St James church. By 1774 the first parish church in Jamestown showed signs of decay, and so finally a new building was erected. St. James' is the oldest surviving Anglican church south of the Equator
.
Alterations were made in 1843 and 1869. The church once possessed a spire, but this had to be taken down in 1980 for safety reasons.
It is designated as a Grade I listed building, and is one of many listed buildings (a designation for buildings of historic or architectural merit) in Jamestown. It is situated in the historic centre of Jamestown, close to the shore and to The Castle
.
of St James (one of three parishes on the island) consists of St James' Church and three daughter churches:
Saint Helena
Saint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...
and is part of the Anglican Diocese of Saint Helena. It is situated in the capital Jamestown
Jamestown, Saint Helena
Jamestown is the capital and historic chief settlement of the island of Saint Helena, in the South Atlantic Ocean. Located on the island's north-western coast, it is the island's port, with facilities for unloading goods delivered to the island, and the centre of the island's road and...
and is the oldest Anglican Church in the southern hemisphere; the present building was put up in 1774.
History
Oliver CromwellOliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
granted a new charter to the English
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
in 1657, which gave the Company the right to fortify and colonize any of its establishments. Because of the strategic importance of St Helena as a fortress and staging post on the way home from India, the Company claimed the island on 5 May 1659. The building of the fort was commenced immediately and a little town sprang up in the valley with the chapel and was subsequently named Jamestown, after James, Duke of York
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
. The valley, now generally known as James Valley, was called either St James Valley or Chapel Valley, after the chapel which was a prominent building as viewed from the bay.
In 1671, the East India Company sent the first of a long sequence of Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
chaplains. The early, modest little church was replaced by a slightly bigger one in 1674, but was only later named St James church. By 1774 the first parish church in Jamestown showed signs of decay, and so finally a new building was erected. St. James' is the oldest surviving Anglican church south of the Equator
Equator
An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
.
Alterations were made in 1843 and 1869. The church once possessed a spire, but this had to be taken down in 1980 for safety reasons.
It is designated as a Grade I listed building, and is one of many listed buildings (a designation for buildings of historic or architectural merit) in Jamestown. It is situated in the historic centre of Jamestown, close to the shore and to The Castle
The Castle (Saint Helena)
The Castle is the main government buildings on the island of Saint Helena, located in the historic centre of the capital Jamestown, close to James Bay and the old town gate. The oldest parts of the complex date to 1710 but it was largely reconstructed in the 1860s because of termite damage...
.
Parish
The parishParish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of St James (one of three parishes on the island) consists of St James' Church and three daughter churches:
- St John's, Upper Jamestown
- St Mary's, the Briars
- St Michael's, Rupert's Valley
See also
- St Paul's CathedralSaint Paul's Cathedral (Saint Helena)Saint Paul's Cathedral is a cathedral church on the island of Saint Helena and is part of the Anglican Diocese of Saint Helena. It is located approximately 2 miles south of Jamestown in the district of St Paul's....
- the cathedral church of St Helena, built in 1851, which replaced another early church on the island - St Matthew, Hutt's GateSt Matthew, Hutt's GateSaint Matthew is a church on the island of Saint Helena and is part of the Anglican Diocese of Saint Helena. It is situated in Hutt's Gate in the Longwood district. The church opened in 1862...
External links
- Diocese of Saint Helena Parish of St James
- The Saint Helena Virtual Library and Archive Drawing from 1683 showing the church in James Valley