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Churchyard Art

@churchyardart

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Engravings, art and history from churches and churchyards. Photos by @scherbemann

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I have lots more photos to post from the amazing Temple Church in London, but I think this muscular baby sitting on a skull deserves its own post. Taken from one of the memorials inside.

#templechurch #london #church #royalpeculiar #churchcrawling #medieval by @churchyardart

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a year ago

Layers upon layers of history at Denny Abbey in Cambridgeshire.

This building has had many lives which you can see in the walls. Originally founded as a Benedictine monastery by the Knights Templar in the 12th century, it later became home to Franciscan nuns known as the Poor Clares (named after St Clare of Assisi).

Following the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII the building was converted into a farmhouse while the refectory was converted into a barn.

The result is a building which has been continuously remodelled over centuries leaving a patchwork of history in its walls.

#dennyabbey #monastery #convent #benedictine #franciscan #poorclares #knightstemplar #church #churchcrawling #history #cambridgeshire taken in Denny Abbey and Farming Museum by @churchyardart

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a year ago

It always pays to look closely! I've walked through the grounds of Peterborough cathedral probably hundreds of times but only today spotted this carved bird above a doorway in the remains of what was the cloister.

I do find it sad that so much of what was once Peterborough Abbey has been destroyed. But at least the church is still there, and enough remains of the cloister and monastic buildings to give an idea of what it used to be like.

#medeshamstede #peterborough #peterboroughcathedral #peterboroughabbey #churchcrawling #history #medieval #medievaldoor by @churchyardart

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a year ago

This is why you should always look up!

The ceiling of St Kyneburgha's church in castor is covered with golden angels and musicians. The carvings date from around 1450 and are playing instruments from the period.

#ceiling #medieval #history #stkyneburghachurch #stkyneburgha #castor #peterborough #church #churchcrawling taken in St Kyneburgha's Church by @churchyardart

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a year ago

Here's an Anglo Saxon carving for your Thursday evening 😀

This is another picture from St Kyneburgha's in Castor near Peterborough. The carving is from the 8th or 9th century and is thought to have come from St Kyneburgha's shrine. It might depict St Mark though this isn't known for sure.

#anglosaxon #church #churchcrawling #stkyneburghachurch #peterborough #history #stonework #stmark taken in Castor, Peterborough by @churchyardart

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a year ago

St Kyneburgha's church in Castor is one of the most fascinating churches I've been to in a long time. The church is built on the site of a Roman palace and dates back to 650AD or possibly earlier.

The current building is mostly Norman and is filled with treasures including these amazingly well preserved Norman capitals depicted people, animals, and intricate patterns.

#stkyneburgha #stkyneburghachurch #churchcrawling #church #cambridgeshire #castor #norman #history #stonework #normanchurch taken in Castor, Peterborough by @churchyardart

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a year ago

I do love a Norman doorway. This one at St Pega's church, in Peakirk is 12th century and was inserted during remodelling of the original Anglo-Saxon church.

#church #churchcrawling #normanarchitecture #peakirk #medieval taken in St Pega's Church by @churchyardart

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a year ago

It has been a WHILE since I posted here, but I do love a medieval wall painting and these are too good not to share.

The paintings are on the wall of St Pega's church in the little village of Peakirk just north of Peterborough. The name of the village is derived from "Pega's church" and is the only place in the UK dedicated to this 8th century Anglo-Saxon saint. St Pega is said to have settled in Peakirk to live a solitary spiritual life before setting off on a pilgrimage to Rome where she died in 719.

The earliest parts of the church were built around 200 years after St Pega's death but much of what remains is Norman or medieval.

The most striking feature of the church upon entering is the wall paintings. These are a rare survival from the 14th century and depict on one wall the story of Christ's passion as well as two morality paintings - the three living and the three dead, and a warning to gossips. In the first of these three wealthy kings encounter three decaying skeletons and is a reminder of mortality. The second shows two women gossiping while the devil is in the background pushing their heads together (picture 5).

The paintings were discovered in the 19th century hinder under limewash and fully uncovered in 1950-51. Unfortunately conservation workers at the time covered the paintings in beeswax to preserve them but this conservation technique has actually damaged the painting be trapping moisture. Thankfully much of this was removed in the 1970's but some detail has been lost.

St Pega's church is well worth a visit and is open every day from 10-4.

#church #churchcrawling #medieval #anglosaxon #history #peakirk #peterborough taken in St Pegas Church by @churchyardart

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a year ago

Did you know that St Valentine was a 3rd century roman priest who was executed on the orders of emperor Claudius II?

After his death he was made a saint and his relics were preserved. Today you can see St Valentine's skull on display in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome.

#valentines #stvalentine #valentinesday #rome #italy #basilica #church #history #skull #relics #saint #basilicadisantamaria #italia #roma taken in Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin by @churchyardart

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4 years ago

The Pantheon is one of the oldest churches in the world. Built originally as a Roman temple by Marcus Agrippa sometime between 27BC and 14AD, it then rebuilt by emperor Hadrian around 126AD, although the exact date is unknown.

The temple was converted into a church in 609AD and it has remained in use as a church ever since.

Aside from its impressive age, what makes this church really special is the roof which is made from unreinforced concrete, and which has stood for almost 2000 years. At 43 metres in diameter it is still the largest unreinforced dome in the world.

#pantheon #rome #church #churchhistory #italy #churchcrawling #roman #thepantheon #dome #basilica #catholic #history #romanhistory #ancient #europe #roof #chiesa taken in Pantheon by @churchyardart

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4 years ago

Breedon on the Hill priory church was founded in 676ad as a monastery.

What survives today is just the chancel and crossing tower of the original building, with all the usual changes and modifications that can be seen in most old English churches.

What makes this church really special is that many of the original Saxon stone carvings survive and have been set into the walls of the church.

These are carvings of saints set into the back wall of the church. They have been on this site for almost 1400 years.

#breedononthehill #breedonpriory #breedonchurch #breedononthehillchurch #church #churchhistory #uk #history #architecture #saxon #engraving #stonework #saint #anglisaxon #prenorman #stonecarving #churchcrawling #cofe #leicester #leicestershire #history #art by @churchyardart

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4 years ago

St Robert's cave is a very rare survival of an early medieval hermitage, and was once home to a saint.

Robert Flower was born to a wealthy family in York in 1160, but early in life he became intent on pursuing a religious vocation. At first he became a Cistercian monk in Northumberland, then moved to Fountains Abbey. When he found the communal life didn't suit him he became a hermit and wandered the area around Knaresborough.

Wherever he settled he attracted followers and soon had a reputation as a holy man. He eventually moved into a cave by the river Nidd where where he attracted many visitors, including, in 1216, King John.

Robert's brother, Walter Flower, was the mayor of York. He paid for a stone shelter to be built outside the cave where Robert could meet his many visitors, and also build a chapel. The remains of these structures can still be seen today.

After Robert's death in 1218 his cave became a site of pilgrimage for many. Although there was never an official process of canonization he was regarded by the people as a saint which was later officially accepted by the church.

Saint Robert's remains were first buried outside his cave, and the grave cut can still be seen today (third picture). They were later moved to the priory of the Holy Trinity in Knaresborough, but both the priory and his remains were lost in the reformation.

#saintRobert #strobert #strobertscave #saintrobertscave #saint #hermit #monk #hermitage #medieval #uk #history #architecture #church #knaresborough #yorkshire #churchhistory #churchcrawling #cave #catholic taken in St Roberts Cave by @churchyardart

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4 years ago