Portal:Anglicanism/Selected article/4
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St Thomas the Martyr's is a Church of England church of the Anglo-Catholic tradition, in Oxford, England, near Oxford railway station in Osney. The church was founded in the 12th century, dedicated to St Thomas Becket. The building still retains some of its original architecture, although substantial expansions and repairs have been made, particularly in the seventeenth century (under the curacy of Robert Burton) and in the nineteenth century.
The church played a significant role in the early stages of the Oxford Movement, being the site of daily services as well as such ritualist practices as altar candles and the wearing of Eucharistic vestments. The leaders of the Oxford Movement preached at the church and the early Tractarians were closely associated with St Thomas's. A candelabrum given by Ann Kendall in 1705 hangs in the chancel. The chancel ceiling was decorated with a pattern of gold stars on a blue background in 1914. Two years later, an altar was erected at the east end of the north aisle, and an aumbry placed in the north wall of the chancel. The royal arms of William IV are on display in the tower.
