St Mary Major Ilchester

St Mary Major is a welcoming community! We gather together to celebrate and worship on a weekly basis, either Common Worship Holy Communion or Family service on a Sunday and on a Wednesday morning we also have a Holy Communion service.

We are a part of, and value greatly our fellowship with all the churches of The Ilchester Benefice (Ilchester with Northover, Limington and Yeovilton with Podimore). We also have a strong relationship with the Fleet Air Arm Memorial church of St Bartholomew in Yeovilton village.

St Mary Major church is the last standing of 7 which could be found within the defensive walls of the old Roman town of Lendiniae (along with Dorchester and Bath, Ilchester was one of the most important Roman sites in the South West of England). In fact recent archaeological finds suggest that Christian worship has taken place in Ilchester since the late Roman period.

One of the town’s famous ‘sons’ is commemorated in the church. The scientist and philosopher Roger Bacon was born in the town and received his early education at the Dominican Friary in Ilchester.

The church is a grade 11* building with features revealing its early stages of construction date from the 13th century. Over the years much has happened to the building. A side chapel was added in the late medieval period and a side aisle removed. In the late 19th century a new side aisle was built and the roof of the nave and chancel were raised in height. The tower, along with a few others within the vicinity, rises from a square base to an octagonal top (the octagon is symbolic of the shape which joins the square representing the earth with the circle which depicts the perfect heaven).  

If you enjoy worshipping God in Christ Jesus you might like to join us on a Sunday or look out for some of the other events which take place throughout the year; we would love to meet you and get to know you, and hopefully the feeling will be mutual.