Saxons

Timeline

Saxon

St Mary’s

St Giles’

St Laurence’s

The Abbey

The Monks Day

The Abbot

Pilgrims

The Grey Friars

Quakers

Baptists

Congregation-alists

Catholic Church

St Mary’s Castle Street

Christianity in Saxon Reading

Christianity was brought back to the area in the early 7th Century and a minster church was probably built in the town at about that time. A minster church was the main church which was in charge of a large area round about. This church was probably wooden, and there are no remains of the building, although it was probably built where St Mary’s is now situated.
Later, some time after the year 978, a nunnery was founded in Reading founded by Queen Elfrida (or Aelfthryth). The Queen wished for her own son to be King, so had her stepson, King Edward murdered at Corfe Castle. Her son became King Ethelred the Unready. as a sign of atonement for the wrong she had done (to show that she was sorry) she had the nunnery built at Reading, probably on the site of St Mary’s although it is possible that it was on the site of the abbey.