Romanian Orthodox Church to buy listed building

The Grade I listed church has been closed since 2022

A church that had been closed for the last three years could be re-opened and used for worship by a city's Romanian Orthodox Christians.

The Church of St Augustine in Oundle Road, Peterborough, requires about £300,000 of repairs.

The 1,000-year-old structure is suffering from several issues including water ingress and an unsound roof, with Historic England recently saying the urgency of the repairs ran an "immediate risk of further rapid deterioration or loss of fabric".

The Diocese of Ely, which had been negotiating with other denominations to take on the church fo worship, said it was "delighted" with the takeover.

It said the decision was a "positive step for the church building and will bring an end to the uncertainty around its future".

The main issues at the church included roof repairs and water ingress

An Ely diocese spokesperson said the orthodox church planned to repair and reopen St Augustine's as a place of worship and for wider community groups and members.

"The Romanian Orthodox Church are well known to us having built a large and active congregation and a good relationship with local Anglican churches while worshipping at Christchurch in Orton Goldhay each Saturday," said the diocese.

"We are confident that the Romanian Orthodox Church will be good custodians of the church building and will make a positive impact on both the church building and wider Woodston community."

A recent survey carried out by the Ely diocese found "wide support" for the idea.

The proposals will now be referred to the Church Commissioners, who will carry out a statutory public consultation process under the provisions of the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011.

The Romanian Orthodox Church, which has 19 million members across the world, is part of the Eastern Orthodox Christian churches.