 reading minster, or the minster church of st mary the virgin as it is more properly known, is the oldest ecclesiastical foundation in the english town of reading. although eclipsed in importance by the later reading abbey, reading minster has regained its importance since the destruction of the abbey and is now an anglican parish church. the minster church of st mary the virgin should not be mistaken for the rather similarly named st mary's church, castle street, which is only a few yards away. == history == thumb|left|reading minster from the south-east, 1800-1809 according to unverified tradition, saint birinus founded a small chapel on the site of reading minister in the 7th century. silver coins of the 9th century have been found in the churchyard, dating back to the period when kings ethelred and alfred of wessex were fighting the danes at reading, and also the era in which reading supplanted calleva atrebatum (silchester) as the local centre of importance.leaflet history of reading minster, no stated publisher or publication date, available from the church in 979, queen Ãlfthryth, wife of king edgar of england, founded a [[reading nu
Church_of_England_churches_in_Berkshire Churches_in_Reading,_Berkshire Diocese_of_Oxford Grade_I_listed_buildings_in_Reading Grade_I_listed_churches