St Barnabas Church

St Barnabas Church is defined by its tall, detached Italianate campanile that rises above the Jericho neighborhood. Often called the Oxford Basilica, this building departs from the Gothic Revival style common to its eighteen sixty-nine construction date. Instead, it draws from Italian Romanesque designs like those in Ravenna and Rome, using simple exterior materials such as cement-rendered rubble. Thomas Combe, the Superintendent of the Oxford University Press, commissioned the church to serve the local working population, prioritizing a large, dignified interior over expensive exterior flourishes.