Whitchurch Canonicorum - St Candida and Holy Cross

The church of St Candida and Holy Cross lies in the village of Whitchurch Canonicorum. Alfred the Great founded a church on the site in the 9th century named Hwitan Cyrican ("White Church" or "Whitchurch") and bequeathed it in 899 to his son Æthelweard.

In the 11th century William the Conqueror gave ownership to the monks of St Wandrille's monastery in Normandy. They began a major reconstruction and expansion of the building. In 1190 the monks sold or gave the church and benefice to the Bishop of Salisbury and in the early 13th century it was handed over to Robert de Mandeville, Lord of Marshwood Vale, in return for an annual fee. De Mandeville made further renovations and a shrine containing the remains of St Wite was erected. In the mid-13th century de Mandeville presented ownership of the church to the Bishop of Bath and Wells. However, the Bishop of Salisbury was unwilling to relinquish his annual payment and a compromise was reached whereby the tithes would be divided between the two canons. It was at this time that the Latin affix Canonicorum (of the canons) was added to Whitchurch.

The shrine and its relic's reputed healing powers made the church a busy and prosperous centre of pilgrimage. However, this was abruptly halted by the 16th century Reformation which prohibited the veneration of saints.

The church is a mixture of architectural styles. It is an example of Early English architecture but incorporates some Norman features and significant Perpendicular additions.

The church's shrine contains the relics of St Wite (in Latin St Candida). It is one of only two shrines with relics in an English parish church and the only shrine and relics in the country to survive the Reformation besides Edward the Confessor's in Westminster Abbey and St Eanswythe in Folkestone. The shrine is a plain 13th century limestone altar tomb. Pilgrims believed the relics to have healing powers and these openings enabled them to place personal belongings or diseased body parts into the shrine in hope of a cure.