The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, better known as the Round Church, is an ancient church in the city centre of Cambridge, UK. It was built around 1130, it is one of the oldest buildings in Cambridge. The model for this church was the rotunda in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. There are only four surviving medieval round-shaped churches in England. The church was built by the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre. No information about this brotherhood survives, but the name suggests that they were involved with the Crusades to the Holy Land, like the Templars or the Hospitallers.
At first it was just a chapel for travellers that stood on a busy road. By the mid-13th century, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre had become a parish church. During the fifteenth century the church was substantially remodelled. Norman windows were replaced by large Gothic windows and a polygonal bell tower was added. By the mid-nineteenth century the church was in a poor state of repair and Anthony Salvin was invited to supervise the restoration work. Salvin replaced the bell tower with a roof close to the original, as the walls could no longer support the weight of the belfry. The 15th century Gothic windows were replaced again with Norman windows and the external gallery and staircase were removed. It is believed that the restoration was carried out very delicately, and the church has largely regained its original appearance.
Now services are not held in the church - it has become too small to accommodate all the parishioners. Services have been moved to nearby St Andrew's Church, and the Round Church is home to an exhibition on "The Influence of Christianity in England", concerts, summer schools and lectures.
