York St Mary’s Church

About

York St Mary’s Church is a historic venue on Castlegate which displays a Van Gogh contemporary art exhibit. Historically a medieval church, it was built in around 1020. You can see a small area of the original Saxon stone work to this day. Also, a dedication stone for the original builders can be found inside the church. Today, most of the building is 13th century with some 14th and 15th century additions. Significantly, the church deconsecrated in 1958 and opened as a heritage centre until 2001. Since 2004, the building has been operating as an art venue and remains open for the public to visit.

What is there to do at York St Mary’s Church?

York St Mary’s Church on Castlegate is home to Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience. This exhibit allows you to enter the world and mind of Van Gogh, including:

• Van Gogh’s life and 19th century impressionism.
• Projections, recreations and interactives of his artwork including over 200 works.
• Moving projections with digital animations and a soundtrack.
• A 35 minute long, 360 degree immersive exhibit.

Additionally, all of this exhibit can be seen within the historic and picturesque walls of the former church. Last entry is an hour before closing as it takes approximately an hour to go round.

To find out more about a visit to York St Mary’s Church, click here.

Accessibility

York St Mary’s Church has an accessible main entrance with no steps. Once inside, the Van Gogh exhibit is all on the ground floor with no stairs to contend with. However, there is a 2nd floor with a children’s area that is only accessible through a flight of stairs. There is an accessible toilet on the ground floor which has a changing table. In terms of parking, the church is in York city centre so does not have its own carpark. The nearest parking is at the Castle Car Park which is a 3 minute walk away. Alternatively, there is space for drop offs near the church.

Noise levels at the church may vary as it is an old building which may be echoey. There is no dedicated quiet area or quiet session to visit. However, it is usually quietest on Sundays or later afternoons in the week. Additionally, the church is usually busiest on a Saturday so could be relatively noisy.

For more information about places to visit in York, go to the Eric Knows website.