The University Church of St Mary the Virgin in Oxford is the historic and spiritual heart of the University of Oxford. St Mary’s stands on a site where a church existed before 1068. The 13th Century church has Gothic spire is considered one of the most beautiful in England. The Old Library above the east side, built in 1320, was the University’s first library, housing chained books now found in the Bodleian.
The view above capture both the Bodleian and St.Mary's showing the areas layered history
 
interesting facts..
In 1744, John Wesley, founder of Methodism, preached a scathing sermon here accusing Oxford academics of spiritual “sloth and apathy.” The result: he was banned for life from preaching in the church.