The church at West Mersea, on Mersea Island, was an Anglo-Saxon minster first documented in the later 10th century, but there are signs of earlier origins. The island was accessed by a causeway dated by dendrochronology to the end of the 7th century, while investigation of the fabric of the church indicates that the constructional technique of the lower nave north wall is similar to that of the neighbouring late-7th-century church of St Peter-on-the-Wall, Bradwell-on-Sea. Though the evidence is circumstantial, the church at West Mersea may have been built at the same date. The church occupies the site of a very extensive Roman villa complex. This was largely revealed by 18th-century antiquarian activity, which resulted in inevitable destruction of deposits and only vague accounts of features. Nevertheless, an approximate idea of the extent of the villa can be realised. East of the villa was a Roman wheel-tomb supported by twelve buttresses. The latter could have been (re)interpreted in a Christian context, the buttresses symbolising the Apostles.

中文翻译：

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SS彼得和保罗教堂，西默西，艾塞克斯：盎格鲁撒克逊大教堂，位于一个主要的罗马别墅遗址上

位于默西岛（Mersea Island）的西默西（West Mersea）的教堂是盎格鲁撒克逊大教堂，始于10世纪后期，但有早期迹象。到了7世纪末，由树木年代学的一条堤道进入了该岛，而对教堂结构的调查表明，下教堂中殿北墙的建造技术与附近的7世纪末教堂的建造技术相似海上布拉德韦尔，圣彼得在墙上。尽管证据是间接的，但西默西（West Mersea）的教堂可能是在同一日期建造的。教堂占据了一个非常广阔的罗马别墅区。这在很大程度上由18世纪的古物活动揭示，这不可避免地破坏了沉积物，仅对特征进行了模糊的描述。不过，可以大致了解别墅的范围。别墅的东面是罗马轮墓，由十二个支柱支撑。后者本可以在基督教的语境中被（重新）解释，其支柱象征着使徒。