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Where we Worship

St Mary the Virgin, Bottesford occupies a unique place in the life of the Vale of Belvoir. As Mother Church to the other eight churches of the Benefice, it is the focus of teaching, outreach and nurture amongst all ages. At the same time our historic building represents the Church to society as a whole, a place where instuitituoions, groups and individuals can encounter faith and where events are given spiritual interpretation and significance.

Bottesford is a large well built village in the rural Vale of Belvoir, in the County of Leicestershire. The church nestles within a loop of the small reandering river Devon (pronounced deevon) which is straddled by two fords and frequented by countless ducks the year round.

St Mary's is the Parish Church for Belvoir Castle. Her steeple (rebuilt in 1876) is beautifully proportioned and at 63m (210ft) is the tallest in the County. After Melton Melton and some of the Leicester Churches, it is the paramount parish church of Leicestershire. The Chancel after the Reformation became the mausoleum to the de Roos and Manners families (Earls and Dukes of Rutland). Since 1828 the Dukes of Rutland have been buried in belvoir Castle's Mausoleum.

Here we seek to be a place of Discovery, Celebration and Challenge.

  • Discovery: Discovering faith and meaning, the heritage and history of this ancient building and its special relatinoship witht eh Earls and Dukes of Rutland. The part it plays in the life of the Village and the Vale of Belvoir and the living community which sustains it.

  • Celebrating: Our faith in Christ and the Christian tradition that has influnced this celebration. We celebrate our rural and industrious community, bringing the to two together. And we celebrate the god-given talents and creativity we benefit from.

  • Challenging: We challenge ourselves to grow in holiness of life and service of others. We seek to challenge the thousands who vist our church each year, hoping they will re-examinew the place of faith and spiritualioty in their own lives. We seek for justice, peace and fairtrade. As we partake in the life of St Mary's we are humbled in our Christian journey by the many signs of craftsmanship used for devotional purposes over the centuries. From the Saxon Font, Medievial Murals, Tudor statues, Jacobean Pulpit and monuments to the two World Wars and much more history that remind us of the churches Christian heratiage. It has been a very important church used by many influential men and women connected with Bevoir Castle and the castles' Royal influences. Thousands of people from all over the world visit The Lady of the Vale to view historical artifacts each year.

    God has bless us further with a fine set of eight bells; beautiful wood, stone, brass and alabaster carvings; stained glass windows; paintings and exceptional architecture. Many works of art are some of the finest in England. We pray that in the richness of our church you will find something of the quality of God's great love.