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| St Michael's Church - a little history for visitors.
In 948 AD, the abbot of St Albans Abbey built three churches (St Michael's,
St Stephen's and St Peter's - all still standing to-day) on the three main
roads
into the town. Here pilgrims would prepare themselves for their visit to the
Shrine
of St Alban in the great Abbey church up on the hill.
St Michael's was built on the
site of the Law Courts of the Roman City of Verulamium, the very spot where
Alban
had been condemned to die. The walls of the Saxon church remain to-day, the
ancient
brick arches indicating the position of the church's original windows. Full
details
of the development of the building are displayed in the church.
Perhaps its most
notable feature is the monument to Sir Francis Bacon, scientist, philosopher
and
Jacobean Lord Chancellor of England. He owned the nearby Gorhambury estate and,
it was his wish to be buried in his parish church, St Michael's.
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