The Church of the Holy Cross, Avening, Gloucestershire

www.aveningchurch.info

Welcome

The Church of the Holy Cross, Avening is a living, active and inclusive church which welcomes worshippers of every denomination to join in the Sunday Services. Christians have worshipped in this Ancient Cotswold Church since its consecration in 1080, and also in the Saxon church that stood on this site before. It is a beautiful and fascinating building with many Norman features and a remarkable stone vaulted ceiling in the chancel, and is thought to be the only church in the country ever to be commissioned by a Queen of England. It is where the people of Avening have brought their children to be baptised and married and also to lay their dead to rest, for nearly a thousand years. It is the focus of village community life and stands open for parishioners and visitors alike, to glorify God through prayer and meditation.

Not only is our church a wonderful historical building, but we also are a church of people - a strong, vibrant community who gather to worship in this lively and friendly place.

We are an ancient church with ancient traditions being kept alive and translated to the modern world. For example, in addition to our Sunday School and Festival Services, we enjoy Hugging the Church on Mothering Sunday, the Pig Face Celebration day, bringing lambs to be blessed on Shepherding Sunday, an annual Celebration of Family Life, Healing services, All Souls night, when we remember loved ones who have died and a Remembrance Sunday which includes the laying of wreaths on the Millennium Stone Cross. The traditional church fete is a highlight of the village calendar. Images of some of these events can be seen on this page.