User:Hantschron/St Faith's Church, Winchester



St. Faith's Church was the parish church of St Cross, a village just south of Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was situated on the northern side of what is now Kingsgate Road at its junction with what is now St Cross Road. The church's graveyard is still there today. It was demolished in 1507, and St Cross Church, part of the Hospital of St Cross, became the parish church.

History
The earliest record of St Faith's Church is from the year 1172.

In 1445, the Bishop of Winchester, Henry Beaufort, gave St Faith's Church to the nearby Hospital of St Cross and the Master of St Cross decided not to appoint a separate rector.

By the late 15th Century, St Faith's church was in a poor state of repair due to the decline in the population. The parishoners could not afford to repair it and requested permission to worship at St Cross Church in the Hospital instead. The Master of St Cross agreed and in 1507 St Faith's was demolished, leaving just the graveyard, which still belongs to St Cross, and continued to be used for burials. The font, bell and stone screens from St Faith's were moved to St Cross Church. St Cross had had no need of a font prior to this as it had not been a parish church. The parish is now called St Cross with St Faith.

Fire
The local legend that St Faith's Church burnt down is untrue.

St Cross lecturn
During the commonwealth, a worker instructed to destroy the lecturn at St Cross Church saved it by instead burying it in St Faith's graveyard. It was later dug up and returned to St Cross.