The University Church of St. Mary the Virgin (you’ll find the best view of Oxford from its tower!) is where Lewis delivered his famous war-time sermon, ‘The Weight of Glory.’

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The University Church of St. Mary the Virgin is the spiritual and historical heart of Oxford. Built in the 13th century, it served as the cradle of the University, where degrees were once conferred and reformers such as Cranmer and Latimer stood trial.

For Lewis, it was more than a landmark — it was a pulpit from which he spoke words that would echo for generations.
On 8 June 1941, amid the fear and fatigue of the Second World War, Lewis preached “The Weight of Glory” to a packed congregation.

In it, he reminded listeners that ordinary people are not merely mortal, but eternal — “immortal horrors or everlasting splendours.”

The sermon argued that true glory lies not in fame or success, but in the approval of God and the recognition of beauty itself. It later became one of his most beloved essays, published in 1949, and remains a touchstone of modern Christian thought.

Lewis’s voice — humble, imaginative, and fiercely logical — resonated through this very nave.
Standing here, you can almost hear his Irish cadence rising over the pews as he urged his audience to remember “the promise of glory that is offered to all of us.”

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