Google Street View of St
Michael, Paternoster Royal
View Larger Map
Location: St Michael, Paternoster Royal, City of London, London, England, United Kingdom. (51°30′40.22″N 0°5′31.76″W).
St Michael, Paternoster Royal
St Michael Paternoster Royal is a church in the City of London associated with the fabled Dick Whittington.
First recorded in the 13th century, St Michael’s was destroyed in the Great Fire of London of 1666 but rebuilt under the aegis of Sir Christopher Wren. St Michael’s was further severely damaged by German bombers during the London Blitz of the Second World War and was restored in 1966 – 68.
History of St Michael, Paternoster Royal:
Pre-Fire London had seven churches dedicated to the Archangel Michael, all but one (St Michael le Querne) of which were rebuilt after the Great Fire. The earliest record of St Michael’s is as St Michael of Paternosterchierch and is dated 1219. The suffix comes from its location on Paternoster Lane, (now College Hill), which, in turn was named after the sellers of paternosters - or rosaries - based there. The suffix Royal is first recorded in the next century and refers to another nearby street, now vanished, called Le Ryole, which was a corruption of La Reole, a town in Bordeaux. This street was so named due to the presence of numerous wine merchants.
