St Paul's Knightsbridge
St Paul's Knightsbridge is the parish church serving the people of upper Belgravia in London. It lies within the Two Cities Area of the Diocese of London.
Founded in 1843, it was the first London parish church of the Anglo-Catholic revival and was the mother church of the parishes in this area which were mired in early controversies about 'high church practices,' including the notorious Pimlico Riots at St Barnabas (which was built by St Paul's in the 1840s). In these more peacable days, when so many of the aspirations of the Tractarians (daily and weekly mass, music, vestments, incense and ritual) are now norms in the Church of England, the parish maintains that tradition - but also seeks the other thing our Founders longed for, namely missional presence and outreach in the local community. It is a church that values beauty and dignity in worship, and that is socially liberal and inclusive. Our preaching is biblically rooted and also theologically enquiring.
Nowadays, with shifting demographics, St Paul's is a more eclectic church, drawing its congregation from all over London. We almost always have a good number of international visitors. And we have - post-Covid - a faithful online congregation too. All our major services are streamed, and we use ZOOM as a way of connecting with our dispresed community on Sundays, and daily at 6pm on weekdays for Evening Prayer.
The church is - as far as possible - open daily for visitors and for people to pray and to encounter God's presence in the beauty of holiness.