Little Witchingham Norfolk
The church is empty, just a few chairs , harmonium and the chancel altar - painted walls , clear glass , brick floor, and plain white washed 18c king post roof beams add the impact of the c1425-50 painted wall scenes
particularly on the 12c north wall discovered by conservator Eve Baker in 1967
The upper tier has images of the 12 apostles flanking a central Christ (recognisable throughout by his flowing hair and forked beard) All hard to decipher - St Andrew's saltire (X) cross can be made out,
Below on a much smaller scale is the passion and resurrection cycle. with alternating backgrounds of white and red .
1. Betrayal of Christ (now lost;
2. The flagellation of Christ
3. Jesus stands before Caiaphas the high priest (in bishop's mitre & one of the guards with 14c helmet) which helped the contemporary worshippers to relate to the scene.
4. Jesus carrying the cross (mostly lost)
5 The crucifixion (now lost )
6. Jesus is removed from the cross by ladder
7. Jesus is laid in the tomb provided for him by Joseph of Arimathea
8. The resurrection (notice the upturned lid of the coffin)
9. The harrowing of Hell holding a cross Jesus leads Adam and others out of the jaws of Hell which is represented by a huge set of teeth
10 Jesus tell Mary Magdalene not to touch him despite her joy at finding him
11. St Thomas puts his hand into the side wound of Jesus - the first painting to be discovered and also the best preserved
12. The ascension (a series of heads look up as Christ ascends to Heaven )
The highly sophisticated scenes are painted on a very fine layer of rich plaster which covers another coarser base layer , and It is thought that these paintings may be the product of the same workshop that produced the Tree of Jess wall paints at nearby Weston Longville. www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/E9771i
Curiously, there are no paintings on the south aisle south wall, but Eve Baker thought it had been prepared for painting, suggesting that something intervened to stop it happening, almost certainly the Black Death outbreak of 1348.
At the time of their discovery, the church was becoming derelict and was in danger of being demolished. However the Norfolk Society's Committee for Country Churches (which became the Norfolk Churches Trust) soon took action. They made the building wind and weatherproof and at the same time the Council for the Care of Churches rescued the astonishing paintings. - Church of St Faith, Little Witchingham Norfolk
Little Witchingham Norfolk
The church is empty, just a few chairs , harmonium and the chancel altar - painted walls , clear glass , brick floor, and plain white washed 18c king post roof beams add the impact of the c1425-50 painted wall scenes
particularly on the 12c north wall discovered by conservator Eve Baker in 1967
The upper tier has images of the 12 apostles flanking a central Christ (recognisable throughout by his flowing hair and forked beard) All hard to decipher - St Andrew's saltire (X) cross can be made out,
Below on a much smaller scale is the passion and resurrection cycle. with alternating backgrounds of white and red .
1. Betrayal of Christ (now lost;
2. The flagellation of Christ
3. Jesus stands before Caiaphas the high priest (in bishop's mitre & one of the guards with 14c helmet) which helped the contemporary worshippers to relate to the scene.
4. Jesus carrying the cross (mostly lost)
5 The crucifixion (now lost )
6. Jesus is removed from the cross by ladder
7. Jesus is laid in the tomb provided for him by Joseph of Arimathea
8. The resurrection (notice the upturned lid of the coffin)
9. The harrowing of Hell holding a cross Jesus leads Adam and others out of the jaws of Hell which is represented by a huge set of teeth
10 Jesus tell Mary Magdalene not to touch him despite her joy at finding him
11. St Thomas puts his hand into the side wound of Jesus - the first painting to be discovered and also the best preserved
12. The ascension (a series of heads look up as Christ ascends to Heaven )
The highly sophisticated scenes are painted on a very fine layer of rich plaster which covers another coarser base layer , and It is thought that these paintings may be the product of the same workshop that produced the Tree of Jess wall paints at nearby Weston Longville. www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/E9771i
Curiously, there are no paintings on the south aisle south wall, but Eve Baker thought it had been prepared for painting, suggesting that something intervened to stop it happening, almost certainly the Black Death outbreak of 1348.
At the time of their discovery, the church was becoming derelict and was in danger of being demolished. However the Norfolk Society's Committee for Country Churches (which became the Norfolk Churches Trust) soon took action. They made the building wind and weatherproof and at the same time the Council for the Care of Churches rescued the astonishing paintings. - Church of St Faith, Little Witchingham Norfolk