All Saints Church, Hollingbourne

It is not so common for a Christian place of worship – which encompasses the whole of heaven – to be dedicated to “ALL SAINTS”. Usually it is one (or occasionally two) named saints who hold the patronage of a church – and thus usually also of the parish or town in which it is located.But to find the origin of such a dedication, one has to go far back in history, because the model for this practice of dedication to ALL SAINTS can be seen as a pagan custom, according to which there were already central temples in pre-Christian times that were dedicated to all deities (PANTHEON). The probably most famous Pantheon, formerly a pagan temple and now a Christian place of worship, is located in the Italian capital.

The church was begun in the 14th century and was altered and extended in the 15th century, in 1638, 1869 and 1903. The church is constructed of flint and ashlar stone work and has plain tiled roofs. It was restored in 1876 by George Gilbert Scott, Jr. and is a Grade I listed building.