The foundations of the church date from the year 1010 however the original building was destroyed by fire in July 1290 which is when the new church was built. The Jews of the city were blamed for the fire so their synagogue was closed by the town's authorities.

The patronage of the church (The right to appoint the incumbent) originally belonged to the Crown. King Henry VIII gave the right to King's Hall which subsequenty was absorbed into Trinity College. Trinity retain that right up to today.

The church is the "University church" which has some significance. The impressive organ and the church clock belong to the university. The quarter hour chimes of the clock were copied by the builders of "Big Ben" so the "Westminster chimes" as they are usually referred to are actually the "Cambridge chimes."

Another role of the church used to be the meeting place for discussion of important university business. This was changed in 1730 when the Senate House, just across the street was completed.

In the original church, the bells were hung in a wooden structure in the churchyard.In 1515 the bells were moved into the tower and the right to ring them was given to the Society of Cambridge Youths. They still ring them to today. They claim to be the oldest society of bellringers in Britain and the second oldest in the world.

Another factor of the church's importance is a residence rule. Officers of the university must live within a 20 mile radius of the church. Students are to live within three miles. I have no idea how strictly these rules are enforced but they are certainly unusual these days.

If visiting Cambridge by car, your best option is to use one of the park and ride services. The price is very reasonable and there are frequent services. The church and many of the colleges are a short and interesting walk through the shopping centre from the city centre bus stop.

The Wikipedia page with much more detailed information about the church is here.