Editing Gateshead (section)

===Christianity===
Christianity has been present in the town since at least the 7th century, when [[Bede]] mentioned a monastery in Gateshead. A church in the town was burned down in 1080 with the [[Bishop of Durham]] inside.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}} St Mary's Church was built near to the site of that building, and was the only church in the town until the 1820s. Undoubtedly the oldest building on the Quayside, St Mary's has now re-opened to the public as the town's first heritage centre.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newcastlegateshead.com/things-to-do/st-marys-heritage-centre-p331141|title=St. Mary's Heritage Centre - Heritage / Visitor Centre in Gateshead, Gateshead - NewcastleGateshead|website=www.newcastlegateshead.com|access-date=8 May 2018}}</ref>

Many of the [[Anglican]] churches in the town date from the 19th century, when the population of the town grew dramatically and expanded into new areas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.picturesofgateshead.co.uk/gateshead_churches_anglican/index.html|title=Gateshead Churches - Anglican|work=picturesofgateshead.co.uk|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303205630/http://www.picturesofgateshead.co.uk/gateshead_churches_anglican/index.html|archive-date=3 March 2016}}</ref> The town presently has a number of notable and large churches of many denominations.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gatesheadchurches.org.uk/ |title=gatesheadchurches.org.uk |publisher=gatesheadchurches.org.uk |access-date=22 May 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213190149/http://www.gatesheadchurches.org.uk/ |archive-date=13 February 2012 }}</ref>