St Ethelburga-the-Virgin within Bishopsgate is a former Church of England church in London, England, located on Bishopsgate near Liverpool Street station. It was built in medieval times, and survived the Great Fire of London, the Blitz, an IRA bomb, and urban renewal. It now houses the St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace, which organizes a program of more than 100 public events a year exploring the relationship between faith and conflict, as well as inter-faith dialogue and training. It is also used for private meetings to reconcile people in conflict.
St. Ethelburga's Bishopsgate in Ruled Britannia[]
St. Ethelberge's became a Catholic House of Worship after Spain conquered England in 1588. William Shakespeare attended St. Ethelberge's for Mass.
On the orders of his superiors, Lope de Vega personally visited St. Ethlberge's on 25 December 1597, and saw Shakespeare was in attendance for Christmas Mass. He was relieved, as he did not want such a talented poet to face the English Inquisition and the possibility of eternal damnation.
When ordered to attend the Mass, de Vega took a moment to express his consternation with oddly-named English saints such as Ethelburga of Lyming.
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