St Margaret, Stoven, Suffolk

Here's a good storyline for The X-Files. In the second half of the 19th century, a group of aliens decides to take over the Earth. Sensing the authority of the Church of England, they decide to use this institution to disguise themselves. They will build apparently medieval churches to use as cover for their headquarters on the planet they hope to conquer. One alien finds a book of medieval architectural styles. Norman looks nice. They decide to build Norman parish churches so that the populace will think they are Vicars and choirboys, not aliens.

Of course, it all goes hopelessly wrong. By choosing the Norman style they have blown their cover wide open. They can just about get away with the doorways. But the collonaded windows begin to raise suspicion, and once you get inside the churches it is all pretty hopeless - the Norman stone pulpits, Norman stone lecterns, Norman pews, they are all sad and laughable. The aliens are exposed, and sent packing.

19th century restorations in the Norman style are almost uniformly horrible. By the early years of that century, many of Suffolk's churches were in a poor state, but to rebuild some of them in the Norman style was a dreadful mistake, and nowhere in Suffolk was the mid-century rebuilding as comprehensive as here at Stoven. Nothing looks less organic than a mock-Norman building. Here, the fine Norman south door has been used as an inspiration for the rest of the building, as if a new body had been cloned from a single cell.

At first sight, it isn't so bad. The graveyard on the north side is delightful, full of mature trees and 18th century headstones. The shape of the building is good, especially with the sun behind. It is only on approaching that the details make themselves known, and there seems to be no relationship between the styling and the proportions. And where did that tower come from? But there is a heart-warming story here that is worth telling.

In April 1987, this tiny parish was presented with a horrific £200,000 bill for repairs. The Diocesan architect, aware that this was an impossible demand, recommended that the church be partially demolished, enabling the parish to continue using a smaller, fitter building. Funding bodies and charities like English Heritage were unable to help, since the building was only listed at Grade II, and wasn't considered important enough for injections of cash.

Not surprisingly, the Parish Council decided instead to opt for making the building redundant. That way, they could move in with neighbouring Brampton, while the Redundant Churches Fund took over the headache of paying for repairs. The building would be lost to CofE liturgical use, but would be retained as a village landmark, and could also be used for community purposes.

The church was declared redundant in January 1989. However, there was bad news ahead. The Redundant Churches Fund decided that the 1854 rebuilding had been so drastic that they could not justify taking St Margaret on. Simply, there was just not enough medieval structure left to justify the expense. The Parish Council asked the Fund to think again. They did, and came to the same conclusion. So St Margaret was put up for sale by the Diocese, pending planning permission for residential or commercial use.

Unfortunately, nobody wanted to buy it. This should really come as no surprise, since few people would be prepared to splash out a six figure sum just to make a structure sound, before even thinking of converting it. The majority of churches sold off during the great wave of redundancies ten years earlier had mostly been in good condition. And now things got desperate, because included in the legislation that governs church redundancies is the clause that, if no no use has been found for a Grade II building within three years, it must be demolished.

Those three years went by, probably rather quickly in the eyes of the former Parish Council, and in May 1992 the Church Commissioners prepared the draft order for the demolition of St Margaret, Stoven.

This must have been a depressing time for villagers. They were presented with something of a fait accompli, but in any event a public meeting was held to discuss it, and representatives of national bodies like English Heritage and the Redundant Churches Fund attended. It was agreed that if there was any way forward it was through a thorough architectural examination of the church building.

Well, you may be able to guess what happened. It didn't take long to discover that to all intents and purposes this was a medieval building - rather than being demolished, the former church had been covered with a Norman skin. You can see this for yourself; the plaster has been removed in places on the south side, exposing the outline of the medieval window splays beneath.

As a consequence of this, the listed building status was raised by the Department of the Environment to Grade II*, and suddenly things looked a little brighter. In the short term, the new status qualified the building for English Heritage grant aid, and in the longer term the parish decided to refer matters back to the Redundant Churches Fund, which in the meantime had morphed into the Churches Conservation Trust.

And then something extraordinary happened. The survey for the newly-funded repair work showed that the total cost would be about £60,000, less than a third of the figure quoted six years earlier! You have to wonder quite how such a disparity occured, and if events would have been so traumatic if the revised figure had been quoted to the parish at the time. Suddenly, it seemed as if Stoven parish might be able to cope after all. At Easter 1996 the church opened for business again. The Redundancy order was rescinded, and a new Parish Council convened.

Since that time, work has continued on restoring St Margaret to former glories. And as an act of faith the door is open to visitors every day.

So you step in to an interior that is more pleasing than you have been led to expect, and not wholly mock-Norman in style at all. The chancel arch is more restrained than some 19th century confections, the east end of the chancel is elegant, the tiling polite and the benches plain and fitting. A bit of redecoration is needed, but there's the makings of a building seemly and fitting for Anglican worship here. Indeed, those aliens might have got away with it. They leafed through the book to the Early English section for the font and the pulpit, both of which are more imaginative than many in the style, and most people nowadays would find the intimacy of this narrow building more attractive than the usual wide-open spaces so beloved of the Victorians.

The people of Stoven must feel a sense of relief that they still have a parish church in the village, but the real irony is that it isn't how original the building is that matters at all. The Victorians restored in medieval styles to create a false sense of continuity, but the continuity is always there anyway. It lies not in the bricks and mortar but in the people of the parish who have used St Margaret as their touchstone down the long generations, both as Catholics before the Reformation and as Anglicans afterwards. Outside St Margaret, some of those people still lie in the ground.

Cardinal Newman defined tradition as the unending, slow process of development, and buildings like churches should always be changing to suit the communities that use them. Our understanding of God, the Universe and everything changes and develops from one generation to the next, and this will inevitably be reflected in the buildings in which we worship. If that sometimes involves razing them to the ground and then starting again, then so be it.

A familiar landmark in north Birmingham, Aston's parish church of SS Peter & Paul is also the most substantial piece of medieval architecture left anywhere near the city centre, or rather would have been had it not been so completely rebuilt in 1879-90 by J.A.Chatwin (whose work seems synonymous with Birmingham's older churches!), leaving just the 14th century west tower (with it's curiously designed upper stage, adorned with deeply recessed blank arcading) and spire. It is nonetheless a splendid sight in this otherwise not too glamourous area, and Chatwin's work is a solid exercise in neo-Perpendicular, adorned with much fine carved detail and an apse reminiscent of old St Michael's in Coventry.

The interior is most impressive, somewhat dark but richly decorated, with a mixed bag of Victorian glass (Hardman's in the apse, where I was shown the pink giraffe!) and very much of it's time, all under a fine hammerbeam roof, more elaborate over the chancel, as is the stonework generally with dramatic cusped ogee arches providing a setting for some of the many tombs. There are several good medieval monuments with effigies, mostly to the Holte family and the bulk concentrated in the Erdington Chapel on the south side. None are of the highest quality or best condition, but a worthy collection nevertheless. The largest monument is the 1620s Devereux tomb with it's canopy but rather difficult to see in it's somewhat blackened state in a dark corner. There are also many Baroque and later wall tablets adorned with putti etc distributed throughout the aisles.

What would have been the most important piece of stained glass is currently stored in a crate in the north aisle, it is a large single-arched composition by Francis Eginton from 1798 with a female figure ascending to Heaven. It had been originally installed in the Erdington Chapel, but relocated in the Victorian rebuilding and hidden behind the organ for years, until more recently being removed following vandal damage. The church has no funds to restore it with and no space to put it in, but it is clearly an important work that needs to be back on display somewhere, perhaps the City Museum & Art Gallery, since they have an extensive stained glass display?

I'd been intending to visit this church for some time, but had heard it was rather difficult to get inside. I'd phoned the parish office before I left home and a very helpful young lady answered and said it'd be no problem whilst she was around (till 12ish) so I broke my journey to Erdington and made the shortish walk from Aston railway station. After struggling to find which door to knock on she emerged and kindly escorted me through the offices into the church, and after a brief introduction left me to snap away by myself. I'm afraid I got a bit carried away and when nobody arrived at 12 to lock up I pushed my luck and carried on a bit longer, only to find the poor girl was waiting patiently around the corner! I apologised and should add how grateful we should be to such individuals who generously give their time for our enjoyment of the buildings in their care.

The impressive parish church at Knowle is dedicated to Saints John the Baptist, Laurence and Anne; it is a good example of a Perpendicular Midland church, and is profusely adorned on the south side with battlements, pinnacles and gargoyles.

It is also built using two different coloured local sandstones, red and white, a feature of several Warwickshire churches that adds greatly to their appeal.

Inside the church is spacious with then nave flanked by aisles and the chancel disappearing beyond the late medieval wooden screen. The chancel contains ancient stalls with ten misericords (mostly fairly plain designs) and a sedilia too high up to be used (owing to the lowering of the floor following the removal of a passageway that once ran beneath the altar).

There is an interesting mixture of stained glass from several studios of the Victorian and Arts & Crafts period, an extensive and varied collection with some particularly notable pieces that reward study.

The church is happily normally open and welcoming to visitors.

This, the Yakutiye Medresesi, an Ilkhanate masterpiece, was built in 1310 by local Mongol emir Cemaleddin Hoca Yakut on behalf of Gazan Khan and Bolugan Hatun. Its portal and one remaining minaret were designed in the Selcuk style and "show marked Persian influence." (Bradt) See the turquoise tiling on the minaret in this shot. The central dome in the ceiling has impressive muqarnas work. 4 eivans with students' cells /b/ them are arranged @ an inner courtyard. It's on the tentative list for Unesco designation (see below). It houses the obligatory local (and generally dry) 'Turkish and Islamic Arts and Ethnography museum', "one of Eastern Turkey's better museums". (LP) A mock-up of the interior of an Ottoman house, carpets, kilims, copperwork, weapons, womens' clothes, dervish accoutrements, Seljuk ceramics, "exhibits relating to the black amber jewellery trade", etc. are on show, per the LP. I spent at least a few hours in here. www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0rB0DCEXL0

- Impressive Erzurum (Air-zooroom) was more similar to Sivas (and to Tokat but less so) than any place that I would tour further east, but it was the most exotic of those 3, a showcase of some wonderful Saltuqid, Selcuk and Ilkhanate buildings, in particular two grand, well-preserved medreses, jewels of medieval architecture, and some unusual kümbets incl. that of the founder of the Saltuqid dynasty. It and at least one mosque are 12th cent. Saltuqid, among the oldest Islamic bldg.s I'd seen in Turkey to that point. (The city has its share of concrete apt. blocks too.) I enjoyed Erzurum and found it to be restful, untouristy, and atmospheric. I wonder if my impression that it was exotic was a result in part of the relative social conservatism and piety of the locals, with more head-scarves, chadors and prayer-beads on show than I'd yet seen that trip. It also sits at nearly 2,000 m.s above sea level (Turkey's loftiest provincial capital) on an almost treeless plain, set in a great bowl surrounded by distant mountains. www.youtube.com/watch?v=PewFgGXCR5Y

- In the early 1st mill., 'Erzurum [was known by] the Armenian name Karin. During the reigns of the Artaxiad and Arsacid kings of Armenia, it served as capital of the canton of Karin in the province Bardzr Hayk (Upper Armenia). Following the partition of Armenia in 387, the city passed into Roman control, was fortified and renamed Theodosiopolis after Emperor Theodosius I, became the chief military stronghold along the eastern border of the empire and was fiercely contested in wars between the Byzantines and Persians. Anastasius I and Justinian I both refortified the city.

- Conquered by Umayyad general Abdallah ibn Abd al-Malik in 700/701, it became the capital of the emirate of Ḳālīḳalā and was used as a base for raids into Byzantine territory. Notwithstanding that it was only an island of Arab power in Armenian territory, the city was generally a reliable client of the Caliph's governors. With the decline of the Caliphate and the resurgence of Byzantium, local Armenian leaders preferred the government of the city by relatively impotent Muslim emirs than by Byzantine emperors. In 931 and in 949, Byzantine forces led by Theophilos Kourkouas, grandfather to future emperor John I Tzimiskes, captured Theodosiopolis, expelled is Arab population and resettled it with Greeks and Armenians. Basil II rebuilt the city and its defenses in 1018 with the help of the local Armenians. In 1071, following Manzikert, the Seljuks took possession. The Saltukids, rulers of an Anatolian beylik (principality) centered in Theodosiopolis, ruled from the city [, their capital,] from 1071 to 1202. They repelled several attacks and campaigns by the Seljuks and Georgians until 1201 and the conquest of the city and province by Seljuk sultan Süleymanshah II. Erzen-Erzurum then fell to the Mongols in 1242 who looted and devastated the city. With the fall of the Sultanate of Rum in the early 14th cent., it became a province of the Ilkhanate, then became part of the Çoban beylik under the Black Sheep Turkmen, then of the empire of Timur Lenk and the White Sheep Turkmen, and then passed to the Safavids until the Ottomans, led by Selim the Grim, conquered it at Chaldiran in 1514. The city would then serve as the main base of Ottoman military power in the region and as the capital of the eyalet of Erzurum. ... In 1733, Nader Shah took Erzurum in the Ottoman-Persian War (1730-35), but it was retaken by the Ottomans following his death in 1747.

- In 1821, during the last major Ottoman-Persian War, the Ottomans were defeated by the Qajars at the Battle of Erzurum. In 1829 the city was captured by the Russians, [a consequential victory for Russia "mark[ing] a high point of achievement after which political divisions shaped by the 1825 Decembrist Revolt hardened; a pivotal moment which brought British India and Russia face to face in Persia and Ottoman Turkey [and] cast the die for an Asian rivalry which would be played back from India to London as Russian inheritance of Napoleon’s “threat to India” royalasiaticsociety.org/derek-davis-pushkins-journey-to-a... ]. But it was returned to the Ottomans later that year per the Treaty of Adrianople (Edirne). In Feb. 1878, the Russians took Erzurum without resistance, but then returned the city to the Ottomans per the Treaty of San Stefano. There were massacres of the city's Armenian citizens in 1894–1896.

- The 40,000-strong Armenian population was deported and massacred in the 1915 genocide. Their churches, clubs, schools, etc. were looted, destroyed, or otherwise left derelict. When the Russians reoccupied Erzurum in 1916, there were only @ 200 Armenians left alive.

- Erzurum was the site of a key battle in the Caucasus campaign of WWI /b/ the Ottoman and Russian Empires and was captured by the Russians under Grand Duke Nicholas and Nikolai Nikolaevich Yudenich on Feb. 16, 1916. It reverted to Ottoman control per the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March, 1918. In 1919, Atatürk resigned from the Ottoman army in Erzurum and was declared an "Honorary Native" and freeman of the city, which issued him his first citizenship registration and certificate (Nüfus Cuzdanı) of the new Turkish Republic. (all Wikipedia) The Erzurum Congress of 1919, at which the outlines of post-Ottoman Turkish foreign policy and Turkey's modern boundaries were drawn up, would lead to the Turkish War of Independence." (Bradt)

- Erzurum was a 'listening post' for NATO in the cold war, with the code-name 'the Rock'. (Wikipedia)

- The Arabs referred to the place as 'Arz Er-Rum', 'land of the Romans' (the Byzantines), and the Seljuks kept the name. (Bradt)

- Pushkin visited the city and then wrote one of the first traveler's diaries in literature: "A Journey to Arzrum during the Campaign of 1829." "The Tsarist authorities [hadn't] allowed Pushkin to travel abroad [he'd been a social activist, influenced by the Kantian liberal individualist A.P. Kunitsyn and the ideas of the French Enlightenment. Outspoken, he angered the tsarist government, and was sent into exile on his mother's estate for a spell; not such a bad exile]; he was only permitted to travel as far south as Tiflis (Tbilisi). His unauthorized journey to Turkey infuriated Nicholas I, who "threatened to confine Pushkin to his estate once again." His text challenged, although it didn't entirely reject, the orientalist romanticism of his earlier 'Prisoner of the Caucasus'" and wasn't a hit with his fans who expected a romantic epic poem. (Wikipedia) It was adapted into an opera in 1987 by Armenian composer Edgar Hovhannisyan www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtJRxzdUchY and into a Soviet film in 1936 directed by Moisei Levin. (I can't find a clip on Youtube.) A quote from the book: "One of the Pashas, a wizened old man, terribly fussy, was talking animatedly to our generals. Seeing me in a frock-coat, he asked who I was. Pushchin gave me the title of poet. The pasha folded his arms on his chest and bowed to me, saying through an interpreter: 'Blessed is the hour when we meet a poet. The poet is brother to the dervish. He possesses neither fatherland nor worldly goods; and while we, poor souls, fret about glory, power, and treasures, he stands equal with the rulers of the earth and they bow down to him.'"

I toured the following (I think) per the LP.:

- The highlight in Erzurum (together with the medresesi in this photo) was the grand, atmospheric Cifte Minareli (Twin Minaret) medrese (Seljuk, 1253), surrounded and filled with promenading locals late in the day when I toured it. I recall a time-capsule-ish atmosphere at this medrese that was almost intense. [Update: I might have to edit this and my comment re Sivas further as I think I'm confusing my impression of this medrese with the Bucuriye in Sivas. It's been a long time.] Built by the Seljuk sultan Alaettin Keykubad II, at 35 x 48 m.s, with 2 storeys, a towering limestone portal and 30-m.-high, brick-ribbed, fluted minarets, it's the largest medrese in Anatolia. (!) A carved relief of a double-headed eagle appears on a panel to the right of the portal, a motif for the Seljuks. The central courtyard is surrounded by 4 eivans with double colonnades on the eastern and western sides and seminarians' cells on the upper levels. At the far end of the courtyard sits a 12-sided domed hall, the Hatuniye Turbesi, the tomb of the sultan's daughter Huant Hatun. A small room beneath it with vents to allow in light and air may have been a mescit (prayer room) with a cenotaph, with the tomb itself beneath the floor. (LP)

- The said 'domed hall' is round with blind arches, a conical roof, and is similar to the ancient mosque in the kale and the famous kümbets in town (see below). These are also quite similar to contemporary Armenian churches. It seems obvious that the city's Saltuqid, Seljuk and Mongol rulers employed Armenian architects here. In fact, some claim that the 'domed hall' and the very similar mosque in the kale are converted Armenian churches. allinnet.info/antiquities/erzurum-karin-ancient-armenian-... (To be clear, I'm referring to the cylindrical bldg.s or components of complexes with conical roofs. The eivans and the muqarnas moulding in the portal, sky-lights and elsewhere [inspired by the pomegranate], are Persian in origin. In fact the eivan is early Sassanian in origin, pre-dating Islam.)

- This medrese is thought to be the model for the Gok medrese in Sivas, and likely influenced the construction of the Bucuriye medrese in that city as well.

- Erzurum's Cifte Minareli medrese and the Yakutiye medresesi (in this photo) are 2 of 10 medreses in a proposal for designation as a collective Unesco site, 'Anatolian Seljuk medreses' (although at least 2 are Ilkhanate), on Turkey's (very lengthy) tentative list. I toured 5 this trip, incl. 3 in Sivas: the Gök, Çifte Minareli (in that city), and the Bucuriye.

- www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4L5lNdvvAQ

- (More re Anatolian medreses): "These were educational institutions that first appeared in Islamic countries. Before madrasahs, mosques were used as schools outside the hours of worship and education was limited to the study of the Koran and theology. But the use of mosques as schools came to be considered inappropriate, and so hodjas began to give lessons in their homes. The earliest traces of bldg.s known as madrasahs date to the 10th cent. and are found in Khorasan and Transoxiana. These consist of rooms arranged around an internal courtyard with an iwan at the centre of each side and student cells between. This layout influenced the plans of madrasahs constructed in Anatolia: a courtyard, iwan, winter dershane and student cells are found in all madrasahs constructed in this period that have survived to the present day. Madrasahs were built by wealthy people and high state officials and were not bound to the state, and so patrons would devote a portion of their income-generating properties to the madrasah to meet its expenses, incl. feeding students (20 to 40 students per madrassah), employee salaries and bldg. maintenance. Each madrasah was a waqf institution. ..." (Unesco) whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5907/

- the austere Ulu Cami (1179, Saltuqid), built by Nasreddin Aslan Mehmed, the Saltuklu emir of Erzurum and restored 5 x since, has 7 aisles running north-south and 6 east-west resulting in a forest of columns in cut-stone. An impressive muqarnas dome in the centre is open to the sky, and a wooden dome and a pair of bull's-eye windows are at the end of the central aisle opposite the entrance. The mosque is also replete with elaborate, low-hanging chandeliers.

- a photogenic group of 3 kümbets or tombs, the Üç Kümbetler. The largest, oldest and most unusual is a 12th-cent., octagonal, 'flattened-cone-domed' Saltuqid tomb, thought to be that of Emir Saltuq, founder of the Saltuqid dynasty in the late 11th cent. (!) It was built with red volcanic and gray cut-stone "in a blend of Georgian, Armenian and early Turkish styles" (Bradt), with reliefs of bulls, snakes, bats, eagles and one of a human head /b/ the horns of a bull in its niches. (I'll scan a photo.) The other 2 are Seljuk, 14th cent., cylindrical with blind arches and conical domes (very Armenian in appearance), and are similar to one another. A 4th much smaller, squarish kümbet stands behind. "In the medieval period, these would've been outside the city walls not far from Tabriz Kapisi (Tabriz Gate)." (Archnet) They stand near some centuries-old 2-story houses built with field stones.

- the Kale or citadel, erected on a hilltop by Theodosius @ the 5th cent., was damaged and renovated repeatedly over the centuries, including a restoration by Suleyman the Magnificent in 1555. "In Ottoman times, the citadel was the eastern stronghold for many years of the dreaded Janissaries, the Ottoman SS." (Bradt) It's surmounted by a clock tower converted from a 12th cent. Saltuqid minaret. Its walls are intact and harbour some old cannons with Russian or Ottoman emblems and inscriptions, and a fine Seljuk or Saltuqid mosque (not in use) with 3 minarets, blind arches and a conical dome. Steps lead to the top of the rough walls for a fine view over the Cifte Minareli medrese and environs, surrounded by broad mtn.s. The clock-tower/minaret can be climbed too (I don't recall climbing it; it might've been closed?); the clock was made in Croydon, England and was given to the Ottomans by Queen Victoria in 1877. I do recall an event which involved making a phone call (home I assume, long dist.) from a phone booth overlooking the city by this kale.

- the small Caferiye Camii (Ottoman, 1645) built on the order of Ebubekiroglu Haci Cafer;

- the Lala Mustafa Pasa Camii (Ottoman, 1563). Lala Mustafa Pasa was a grand vizier, and this mosque might have been designed by Sinan or one of his followers;

- the small Pervizoglu Camii (Ottoman, 1715);

- What a beauty this is, the Solakzade camii (a miss), and it's not in any of the guidebooks.: www.youtube.com/shorts/M0_rJIlUspM

- I toured the 'Erzurum museum' which displays fragments of Seljuk tiles, Urartian and Trans-Caucasian pottery, jewellery found in Hellenistic and Roman-era tombs, and artifacts discovered in digs at Büyüktepe Höyük and Sos Höyük (per the LP). I don't recall any of this, but it's been entirely renovated and modernized since. I bought the only postcard on sale, a photo of an object on display, an ancient, phallic incense-burner with a face on what could be the glans (? They must've been low on postcards). I'd become accustomed to buying postcards across Eastern Europe and in Western Turkey, but they were rare to non-existent in the east.

- Some exhibits "document the massacre and mass burial of the Muslim inhabitants of Yeşilyayla and Alaca Köyü by Armenian insurgents at the beginning of the [20th] cent., but the labelling is only in Turkish" (LP, 1995). I don't recall this either, but in 2000 there was a 4-paragraph write-up in a frame on a wall in the museum (I took a photo). Unusually it was in English and was clearly intended to be read by Western tourists. Entitled 'The Problem of Armenia and [unintelligible]' (my photo's a bit blurry), it includes the following.: "... The Armenians were naturally influenced by the emergent Nationalist movement in Europe in the XIX cent. and began to rebel against the Ottomans, whose good intentions and tolerance they had exploited for centuries. [Ouch] ... These separatist movements were changed into rebels when the Ottoman Empire __ __ __ [unintell.] as to collapse during the World War I. Moreover they began to massacre Turks with whom they had lived together for long years. They were also treacherous to benefit from the incapability of the Ottoman empire during the ___ conquest of East Anatolia, mercilessly massacring the inhabitants there from the ___ and innocent babies to the elderly people. ... " It then refers to evidence found in 2 villages in the district of Erzurum and one near Kars. It's fair to say that the Turks have been on the defensive as to the events of 1915 for decades, but the saying goes that the best defense is a good offense. (That said, no-one denies that the Russian Empire, with whom the Armenians were allied, waged a series of brutal wars of aggression for territorial expansion in Eastern Turkey in the 19th and early 20th cent.s, "each [war] more horrible than the last, culminating in the bloody Battle of Sarikamis during World War I." [Bradt])

- I didn't mention the Armenian genocide when I was in Eastern Turkey, but it seems that when foreigners bring up the subject in videos online (at least with elderly local men), the response is 'No, they were jerks and killed our people'. Here's a site that claims that 'Armenian gangs' massacred at least 523,955 Turks from 1910 to 1922. www.genocidestudiescenter.org/turkishgenocideofarmenians

- www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBVJH8Y9CmI See the interaction in Kars from the 2:12 min. pt. to 6:50 in this Dutch doc.

- www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VOkOZlm6WQ

- www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-zaXNF1sLM

- www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_WDJwmxFhY

- The LP praises an old hamam in town, but if I visited it I don't recall.

- I don't recall if I toured the Rustem Pasa Hani, a "severe, dark stone, 16th cent. caravanserai, named after the grand vizier of Suleyman the Magnificent." Used today as a covered bazaar, it currently specializes in the sale of jewellery and prayer beads made from the local 'black amber' or 'oblutas', an obsidian-like black jet.

- There's a museum devoted to the Erzurum Congress, at which Ataturk officiated in July and August, 1919, in the bldg. in which it was held, the Sanasarian College, with more school-desks and the photos of participants (as at Sivas), a printing press, and the brass bed in which Ataturk slept. I don't recall if I toured it. (That college had been a prestigious Armenian school, founded in 1881. Most of its teachers perished in the genocide.)

- As to Armenian religious heritage, the 'Cathedral church of the Holy Mother of Garin' (1838-'44) had stood somewhere in the north of town on the site of 2 older churches, but it was demolished at an unknown date after WWI. I can't find any other churches in town in a search online.

- I wrote much in the description to the last photo (of the Ulu Cami in Divrigi) re the interesting Armenian heritage sites not far off my route from Divrigi to Erzurum, none of which were written up in the LP or the other guidebooks, and still aren't notwithstanding the importance of several to the early history of the Armenian church. By contrast, a series of abandoned Georgian churches in the valleys north of Erzurum were in the LP in 2000. I don't know how much the authors of these guides rely on sources in the Turkish tourism industry and in Turkish government when they conduct their research, but I hope the omission of those Armenian sites isn't the result in part of Turkish sensitivities as to the genocide. (The RG writes that "there's not been nearly the degree of official stonewalling as to Georgian Christians as there is concerning Armenians", although 'stonewalling' is open to interpretation.) But, that said, promotion of the Georgian churches to tourists makes good sense in light of their setting in the dramatic and beautiful valleys of the Yusufelli region, the most scenic region I toured in Turkey that trip. (According to Bradt, "the closest thing to these magnificent Georgian valleys are scenes in the remotest corners of the Pyrenees or the Alps.") Not as much can be said for the region @ Kemah from İliç to Erzincan. And these Georgian churches and monastic complexes are more accessible and are generally much better preserved than the Armenian bldg.s at those sites south of Erzincan, and several are quite important to the history of medieval Georgia and the early history of the Georgian Orthodox church. 2 of the churches were converted to mosques centuries ago by Georgians who converted, and have been maintained as such since.

- So from Erzurum I hitched north to the region of the Tortum valley, once the medieval home of Georgian Christians and ambitious architects. Further motivation for this detour north was that I'd heard that some of the valleys in the Yusufelli region were set to be flooded for hydroelectric 'development', and that I should tour them then, if ever.

- "The mountainous country north of Erzurum towards Artvin was once part of the medieval Georgian kingdom [of Tao-Klarjeti], and has numerous castles and churches to show for it. The trouble you take to see this region will be amply rewarded. The mountain scenery is at times spectacular. ..." (LP)

- I hitched up the D950 from Erzurum towards the turn-off for Bağbaşı and the Haho manastiri. Only @ 4 km.s north of Erzurum and 2 or 3 east of the hwy. is Çayırtepeköyü. The Armenian 'Holy Illuminator monastery of Mudurga', a scriptorium from the 16th to the 18th cent.s and the residence of the primates of Erzurum, had stood somewhere nearby but, per the collectif2015.org site, it's been "entirely destoyed" and a Muslim place of pilgrimage has been built on-site (the Çayırtepe Köyü Cami?).

- One real miss @ 6 km.s beyond the village of Tortum and a few east of the road as the crow flies was the dramatic, photogenic ruin of the vertiginous Tortum Kalesi. Wow. www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHLmIyvp4vc It sits on a rocky ridge above the village of Tortumkale in a valley. Said to have been built by a Georgian king named Mameroz or Mamerol, it probably incorporated an earlier fortress. It was taken in 1282 by the Seljuks, was swiftly retaken by the Georgians, but was retaken a week later by the Turks. It was then modified over the centuries by a succession of Persian, Byzantine, Georgian, Ilkhanid, Aq Koyunlu and Ottoman overlords and warlords. www.castles.nl/tortum-castle

- At the 1st of 3 turn-offs from the D950 for the Serdarli Yolu valley road to the west, there's an impressive, ancient cut-limestone bridge with one high pointed arch, the Kireçli Köprü (which I don't recall), believed to have been renovated by the Seljuks in the 13th cent. and again later by the Ottomans.

HAHO - I followed the Serdarli Yolu north to the turn-off for the road up alongside the Bağbaşı Creek and followed that @ 8 clicks to the village of Bağbaşı and the grand high-domed Khakhuli manastiri in Haho (10th cent., Georgian Orthodox). "For a tip an elderly local with the key let me in" (from a note on the back of a photo). Part of it's in use as the village mosque and it was more intact and enclosed (certainly as a result) than most of the Georgian churches I would see further north. Several interesting stone reliefs had been left intact over the many centuries despite the bldg.'s use as a mosque and which were all the more impressive for that reason. According to Bradt, the bldg. had been carefully restored by the locals. "Most of the Georgians in the area converted to Islam in the 17th cent.," which might help to explain the state of things. (I'll scan a photo.)

- The monastery was built by David III Kurapalates, king of the Bagrat kingdom /b/ 976 and 1001. It then became "an important centre of literature and Georgian culture and many Georgian scholars and theologians studied and worked there incl. Basil of Khakhuli, Ioane Khakhuleli, Davit Tbileli, and Giorgi Mtatsmindeli." The region advanced economically in centuries to follow with the growth of 300 villages ruled by 30 independent minor feudal lords. Khakhuli was absorbed into the Kartli Catholicate in the 16th cent., but became isolated from Georgia following the Ottoman conquest of the southern Georgian territories. (Wikipedia)

- Khakhuli is a Georgian cross-dome church. The west arm divides into 3 'naves' and the east arm ends in a semicircular apse flanked with a compartment on each side, also topped with small apses. The drum's exterior is decorated with blind arches in the Armenian and Georgian style. (I can't find the dimensions of this church, the height and diameter of the dome, etc. on-line.) Several small chapels surround the church within the circuit wall, one dating from the 10th cent.

- Reliefs on the interior and exterior walls and windows include images of "a lion, a bull, a cock, a pig and a griffon" (a plaque), eagles grasping does in their talons, the regurgitation of Jonah by the whale (resembling a toothy pig with front legs and pointy ears), and 'the aerial flight of Alexander the Great' (in which he's carried by birds). The old man with the key pointed the 'flight' out to me.: "Iskander, Iskander", pointing. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khakhuli_Monastery#/media/File:Sain... (I'll scan photos). From an abstract to an article at jstor.org, 'Alexander of Macedon in Georgian Folktales': "Alexander the Great never visited Georgia during his campaigns, yet is one of the most popular characters in Georgian folklore. The Georgian folktales featuring Alexander draw on literary influences from Antiquity and the Middle Ages, representing at the same time an integral part of national folklore."

- An intricate, lovely 12th-century triptych icon of the Mother of God, originally assembled at Khakhuli on a gilded and silver frame with a collection of Georgian and Byzantine enamels, is one of Georgia's finest examples of medieval Georgian goldsmithery, and is now displayed in the Art Museum of Georgia. (Wikipedia) upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Georgia_Khakh...

According to this site, that icon is "the largest [in] the entire Eastern Christian World." !!

www.atinati.com/news/6388a71b7103640043fa3670

Highly skilled and accomplished Georgian jewellers and goldsmiths crafted 'the Holy crown of Hungary', which has pride of place in the Parliament bldg. in Budapest.

- www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eb0GH3YhSSI

- From Haho, I hitched back to and north up the twisty D950 right past and below one of my biggest misses en route in Turkey that trip, the supernatural Engüzek or Üngüzek kapı kalesi (castle), straight from my childhood fantasies and yours too. Looking over my route on google maps for the first time since then, I've just learned of its existence and saw it for the first time (at least since Sept. 2000) in this video in which the vlogger runs through it, obligingly.: www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjRMCSrV_A8 ("Çok güzel, çok" at the 6 sec. pt., "Very beautiful, very". See how quiet Turks can be?) If I saw it from the road (how'd I miss it if I didn't?) I don't recall. None of those metal walkways nor the bridge had been installed by 2000, so it would've been quite a trick to gain entry, and the whole pile would've been an obstacle course before it was cleaned up. But I would've had the view that you see at the 32 to 50 sec. pt., and in this photo too (unless the access road is new too, which it looks to be).: www.castles.nl/unguzek-castle (When I first watched the vlogger arrive at the bridge at the 47 sec. pt., I thought of the famous scene from 1:23:20 to 1:25:45 in this.: www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYhv0O0gUTk )

- The net reveals a surfeit of mtn.-top castles in the area that are handy to the hwy., but you'd expect as much from this Eastern Turkish 'World of Warcraft'. I saw at least a few en route high above and beyond the road, but none up close (that I recall) and none as accessible nor as dramatic as this. From the 'Castles' blog in the link above: "Üngüzek Castle ... tower[s] above the Tortum river and the road from Erzurum to Artvin. ... It was probably built in the Middle Ages by Turkish beys. [Some attribute its construction] to the Byzantines or the Genoese. [I think the Georgians probably built it.] ... I couldn't find a safe way in."

- Again, I continued north along the D950 /b/ rising mountainous slopes to the turn-off west up the Gölbaşı Köyü Yolu to the village of Gölbaşı and past that to Çamlıyamaç, home to the ruined Öşvank or Oshki manastırı. (See the next photo taken hiking along the Gölbaşı Köyü Yolu.)

Detail of one of the series of Victorian stained glass windows by Hardman's of Birmingham in the cloisters at Gloucester.

Gloucester Cathedral is one of England's finest churches, a masterpiece of medieval architecture consisting of a uniquely beautiful fusion of Norman Romanesque and Perpendicular Gothic from the mid 14th century onwards. Until the Reformation this was merely Gloucester's Abbey of St Peter, under Henry VIII it became one of six former monastic churches to be promoted to cathedral status, thus saving the great church from the ravages of the Dissolution.

The most obviously Norman part is the nave, immediately apparent on entering the building with it's round arches and thick columns (the exterior is the result of Gothic remodelling). Much of the remainder of the building is substantially the Norman structure also, but almost entirely modified in the later Middle Ages inside and out, the result of the great revenue brought to the abbey by pilgrims to the tomb of the murdered King Edward II in the choir. It was this transformation of the Norman church that is credited with launching the late gothic Perpendicular style in England.

The gothic choir is a unique and spectacular work, the walls so heavily panelled as to suggest a huge stone cage (disguising the Norman arches behind) crowned by a glorious net-like vault adorned with numerous bosses (those over the Altar with superb figures of Christ and angels) whilst the east wall is entirely glazing in delicate stone tracery, and still preserving most of it's original 14th century stained glass. The soaring central tower, also richly panelled with delicate pinnacles, is another testament to the abbey's increasing wealth at this time.

The latest medieval additions to the church are equally glorious, the Lady Chapel is entered through the enormous east window and is itself a largely glazed structure, though the original glass has been reduced to a few fragments in the east window, the remainder now contains beautiful Arts & Crafts stained glass by Christopher and Veronica Whall.

The early 16th century cloisters to the north of the nave are some of the most beautiful anywhere, being completely covered by exquisite fan vaulting, with a seperate lavatorium (washing room) attached to the north walk as a miniature version of the main passages.

There is much more of interest, from 14th century choir stalls with misericords to the comprehensive collection of tombs and monuments of various dates, including the elaborate tomb of Edward II and that of Robert Duke of Normandy, eldest son of William the Conqueror. The stained glass also represents all ages, from the 14th century to the striking contemporary windows by Tom Denny.

Further areas of the cathedral can be accessed at certain times, such as the Norman crypt under the choir and the triforium gallery above.

My visit coincided with the major 'Crucible' exhibition of contemporary sculpture (September-October 2010), examples of which I will upload in due course.

Conserved remains of a gothique castle, founded in early 14th Century. It stood on the rebel side in the Hussite side, but its owner switched sides in the last phase of the conflict, and the castle was unsuccesfuly besieged by Hussites in 1434. The owning lord is mentioned a few weeks later as one of the knights, who decided the battle of Lipany, in which the Hussites were definitely crushed. The castle was used together with a newly built baroque manor until 1621, when both were plundered and burned down by imperial soldiers. The manor was quickly restored, but the castle was abandoned, and parts of it were systematically demolished, after the whole county was sold to a enterpreneur. When his son, after he inherited the castle, is elevated to a noble in 1865, he sees himslef to be a successor to the knight tradition of the castle, stops its destruction and begins conservation efforts. In the communist era the ruin was statically conserved in the then-typical way, which was not the most sensitive, it was returned together with the manor to their last owners in 1990ies, and is freely accessible today, with deep cellars and tight tunnels undergrounds.

St John the Baptist's church in the picturesque south Warwickshire village of Cherington is a beautiful edifice dating mainly from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. It announces its presence from afar with a handsome west tower whilst the rest consists of chancel and nave with a single aisle on the north side. The south wall was raised to incorporate a row of clerestorey windows in the late medieval period, a common intervention at this time to increase the amount of light within.

Inside the nave and north aisle are pleasantly light with their whitewashed walls, whilst the chancel is a darker, more mysterious space beyond. The most striking detail when looking down the nave is the elegant canopied tomb of a 14th century civilian that interrupts the eastern end of the arcade. The other main point of interest here is the glass, an astonishing collection of antiquarian pieces gathered from various unknown sources are many fascinating fragments of stained glass of various dates, styles and origins, most being from the collection of a mid 18th century rector and given to the church. Some windows are arranged as a sequence of largely heraldic displays, whilst others contain fascinating collages of figurative fragments.

Cherington church was usually kept open and welcoming to visitors prior to the Covid crisis, and is well worth a visit (this occasion being my third).

St Mary's at Hinderclay was one of my main priorities for visiting this day, but being late in my itinerary (and having got distracted a few times earlier in the day) it was getting closer to 5pm by the time I arrived here. I found the church locked, but a keyholder address was given that I duly made use of, and was kindly lent the key, being told it had not long been locked up since the church is normally open.

This church hides away in its own leafy enclosure of a churchyard with only the tall and handsome tower alerting visitors to its presence. The tower with its flushwork parapet is the main feature of note outside, the rest of the building appearing fairly plain.

Inside the church the sense of simple humility continues in the plain plastered ceilings and white/cream-washed walls. The furnishings are mostly post-Reformation and lack the sort of frills and ornamentation I'd seen elsewhere earlier in the day, the nave and chancel being quite homely and rustic in general with refreshingly little evidence of Victorian restoration. However the glowing colours in the south aisle draw the eye from the moment of entering by the south door, and this was my reason for coming here.

The windows of the aisle are filled with glass designed by stained glass artist Rosemary Rutherford and her stylistic hallmarks are immediately recognisable, the flowing semi-abstracted stylised figures rendered in pure flat colours and leadlines with only a few of the faces showing any painted definition. Their presence here is the result of her brother, Reverend John Rutherford being vicar of this church from 1975, however the artist herself died three years eariler, meaning that all these windows had to be adapted to this setting and made posthumously by others following her death, the final window at the west end (executed by Rowland and Surinder Warboys) not being installed till 1994. The resulting windows are however a great success and a remarkable tribute to this sadly short-lived artist. The colours bathe the interior in a warm, glowing light that adds real magic to the atmosphere.

Hinderclay church is therefore a must for any fan of modern stained glass. I was told it is normally kept open during the day, but if one finds it locked (as I did) a friendly keyholder can be sought nearby.

www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/hinderclay.htm

Gloucester Cathedral is one of England's finest churches, a masterpiece of medieval architecture consisting of a uniquely beautiful fusion of Norman Romanesque and Perpendicular Gothic from the mid 14th century onwards. Until the Reformation this was merely Gloucester's Abbey of St Peter, under Henry VIII it became one of six former monastic churches to be promoted to cathedral status, thus saving the great church from the ravages of the Dissolution.

The most obviously Norman part is the nave, immediately apparent on entering the building with it's round arches and thick columns (the exterior is the result of Gothic remodelling). Much of the remainder of the building is substantially the Norman structure also, but almost entirely modified in the later Middle Ages inside and out, the result of the great revenue brought to the abbey by pilgrims to the tomb of the murdered King Edward II in the choir. It was this transformation of the Norman church that is credited with launching the late gothic Perpendicular style in England.

The gothic choir is a unique and spectacular work, the walls so heavily panelled as to suggest a huge stone cage (disguising the Norman arches behind) crowned by a glorious net-like vault adorned with numerous bosses (those over the Altar with superb figures of Christ and angels) whilst the east wall is entirely glazing in delicate stone tracery, and still preserving most of it's original 14th century stained glass. The soaring central tower, also richly panelled with delicate pinnacles, is another testament to the abbey's increasing wealth at this time.

The latest medieval additions to the church are equally glorious, the Lady Chapel is entered through the enormous east window and is itself a largely glazed structure, though the original glass has been reduced to a few fragments in the east window, the remainder now contains beautiful Arts & Crafts stained glass by Christopher and Veronica Whall.

The early 16th century cloisters to the north of the nave are some of the most beautiful anywhere, being completely covered by exquisite fan vaulting, with a separate lavatorium (washing room) attached to the north walk as a miniature version of the main passages.

There is much more of interest, from 14th century choir stalls with misericords to the comprehensive collection of tombs and monuments of various dates, including the elaborate tomb of Edward II and that of Robert Duke of Normandy, eldest son of William the Conqueror. The stained glass also represents all ages, from the 14th century to the striking contemporary windows by Tom Denny.

Further areas of the cathedral can be accessed at certain times, such as the Norman crypt under the choir and the triforium gallery above.

Tomb of William Holte (d.1514) and his wife Joan in the north aisle. The carving is of inferior quality to the other, earlier medieval tombs here.

A familiar landmark in north Birmingham, Aston's parish church of SS Peter & Paul is also the most substantial piece of medieval architecture left anywhere near the city centre, or rather would have been had it not been so completely rebuilt in 1879-90 by J.A.Chatwin (whose work seems synonymous with Birmingham's older churches!), leaving just the 14th century west tower (with it's curiously designed upper stage, adorned with deeply recessed blank arcading) and spire. It is nonetheless a splendid sight in this otherwise not too glamourous area, and Chatwin's work is a solid exercise in neo-Perpendicular, adorned with much fine carved detail and an apse reminiscent of old St Michael's in Coventry.

The interior is most impressive, somewhat dark but richly decorated, with a mixed bag of Victorian glass (Hardman's in the apse, where I was shown the pink giraffe!) and very much of it's time, all under a fine hammerbeam roof, more elaborate over the chancel, as is the stonework generally with dramatic cusped ogee arches providing a setting for some of the many tombs. There are several good medieval monuments with effigies, mostly to the Holte family and the bulk concentrated in the Erdington Chapel on the south side. None are of the highest quality or best condition, but a worthy collection nevertheless. The largest monument is the 1620s Devereux tomb with it's canopy but rather difficult to see in it's somewhat blackened state in a dark corner. There are also many Baroque and later wall tablets adorned with putti etc distributed throughout the aisles.

What would have been the most important piece of stained glass is currently stored in a crate in the north aisle, it is a large single-arched composition by Francis Eginton from 1798 with a female figure ascending to Heaven. It had been originally installed in the Erdington Chapel, but relocated in the Victorian rebuilding and hidden behind the organ for years, until more recently being removed following vandal damage. The church has no funds to restore it with and no space to put it in, but it is clearly an important work that needs to be back on display somewhere, perhaps the City Museum & Art Gallery, since they have an extensive stained glass display?

I'd been intending to visit this church for some time, but had heard it was rather difficult to get inside. I'd phoned the parish office before I left home and a very helpful young lady answered and said it'd be no problem whilst she was around (till 12ish) so I broke my journey to Erdington and made the shortish walk from Aston railway station. After struggling to find which door to knock on she emerged and kindly escorted me through the offices into the church, and after a brief introduction left me to snap away by myself. I'm afraid I got a bit carried away and when nobody arrived at 12 to lock up I pushed my luck and carried on a bit longer, only to find the poor girl was waiting patiently around the corner! I apologised and should add how grateful we should be to such individuals who generously give their time for our enjoyment of the buildings in their care.

St Chad's at Pattingham dates back to the 12th century (as witnessed by the two bay north arcade) but was mostly rebuilt in the following centuries and owes much of its present appearance to a thorough makeover by G.G.Scott who added the commanding spire to the ancient tower.

The nave is uncommonly short and wide for a church of this size, with an extra aisle on the north side (another Victorian addition). There are many windows by Burlison & Grylls (much of it suffering serious paint-loss), a couple more by Kempe and some fetching postwar glass by Powell's in the east lancets.

The church is usually kept open and welcoming to visitors.

Italien / Toskana - San Gimignano

San Gimignano (Italian pronunciation: [san dʒimiɲˈɲaːno]) is a small walled medieval hill town in the province of Siena, Tuscany, north-central Italy. Known as the Town of Fine Towers, San Gimignano is famous for its medieval architecture, unique in the preservation of about a dozen of its tower houses, which, with its hilltop setting and encircling walls, form "an unforgettable skyline". Within the walls, the well-preserved buildings include notable examples of both Romanesque and Gothic architecture, with outstanding examples of secular buildings as well as churches. The Palazzo Comunale, the Collegiate Church and Church of Sant' Agostino contain frescos, including cycles dating from the 14th and 15th centuries. The "Historic Centre of San Gimignano" is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town also is known for saffron, the Golden Ham, pecorino cheese and its white wine, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, produced from the ancient variety of Vernaccia grape which is grown on the sandstone hillsides of the area.

Territory

The municipality of San Gimignano extends for 138 km² and is located on a hill in Val d'Elsa. The altitude difference is between a minimum of 64 meters a.s.l. in the plain of the river Elsa near Certaldo at a maximum of 631 meters in the area of Cornocchio.

History

In the 3rd century BC a small Etruscan village stood on the site of San Gimignano. Chroniclers Lupi, Coppi and Pecori relate that during the Catiline conspiracy against the Roman Republic in the 1st century, two patrician brothers, Muzio and Silvio, fled Rome for Valdelsa and built two castles, Mucchio and Silvia (now San Gimignano). The name of Silvia was changed to San Gimignano in 450 AD after Bishop Geminianus, the Saint of Modena, intervened to spare the castle from destruction by the followers of Attila the Hun.[8] As a result, a church was dedicated to the saint, and in the 6th and 7th centuries a walled village grew up around it, subsequently called the "Castle of San Gimignano" or Castle of the Forest because of the extensive woodland surrounding it. From 929 the town was ruled by the bishops of Volterra.

In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance era, it was a stopping point for Catholic pilgrims on their way to Rome and the Vatican, as it sits on the medieval Via Francigena. The city's development was also improved by the trade of agricultural products from the fertile neighbouring hills, in particular saffron, used in both cooking and dyeing cloth and Vernaccia wine, said to inspire popes and poets.

In 1199, the city made itself independent of the bishops of Volterra and established a podestà, and set about enriching the commune with churches and public buildings. However, the peace of the town was disturbed for the next two centuries by conflict between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines, and family rivalries within San Gimignano. This resulted in competing families building tower houses of increasingly greater heights. Towards the end of the Medieval period, there were 72 tower houses in number, up to 70 metres (230 feet) tall. The rivalry was finally restrained when the local council ordained that no tower was to be taller than that adjacent to the Palazzo Comunale.

While the official patron is Saint Geminianus, the town also honours Saint Fina, known also as Seraphina and Serafina, who was born in San Gimignano 1238 and whose feast day is 12 March. The Chapel of Santa Fina in the Collegiate Church houses her shrine and frescos by Ghirlandaio. The house said to be her home still stands in the town.

On 8 May 1300, San Gimignano hosted Dante Alighieri in his role as ambassador of the Guelph League in Tuscany.

The city flourished until 1348, when it was struck by the Black Death that affected all of Europe, and about half the townsfolk died. The town submitted to the rule of Florence. Initially, some Gothic palazzi were built in the Florentine style, and many of the towers were reduced to the height of the houses. There was little subsequent development, and San Gimignano remained preserved in its medieval state until the 19th century, when its status as a touristic and artistic resort began to be recognised.

Description

The city is on the ridge of a hill with its main axis being north/south. It is encircled by three walls and has at its highest point, to the west, the ruins of a fortress dismantled in the 16th century. There are eight entrances into the city, set into the second wall, which dates from the 12th and 13th centuries. The main gates are Porta San Giovanni on the ridge extending south, Porta San Matteo to the north west and Porta S. Jacopo to the north east. The main streets are Via San Matteo and Via San Giovanni, which cross the city from north to south. At the heart of the town are four squares: the Piazza Duomo, on which stands the Collegiate Church; the Piazza della Cisterna, the Piazza Pecori and the Piazza delle Erbe. To the north of the town is another significant square, Piazza Agostino, on which stands the Church of Sant' Agostino. The locations of the Collegiate Church and Sant' Agostino's and their piazzas effectively divide the town into two regions.

Main sights

The town of San Gimignano has many examples of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. As well as churches and medieval fortifications, there are examples of Romanesque secular and domestic architecture which may be distinguished from each other by their round and pointed arches, respectively. A particular feature which is typical of the region of Siena is that the arches of openings are depressed, with doorways often having a second low arch set beneath a semi-circular or pointed arch. Both Romanesque and Gothic windows sometimes have a bifurcate form, with two openings divided by a stone mullion under a single arch.

Culture

San Gimignano is the birthplace of the poet Folgore da San Gimignano (1270–1332).

A fictionalised version of San Gimignano is featured in E. M. Forster's 1905 novel, Where Angels Fear to Tread as Monteriano.

M. C. Escher's 1923 woodcut San Gimignano depicts the celebrated towers.

Franco Zeffirelli used San Gimignano as a stand-in for the town of Assisi in his 1972 Saint Francis of Assisi biopic Brother Sun, Sister Moon. Most of the "Assisi" scenes were filmed here

Tea with Mussolini, a 1999 drama about the plight of English and American expatriate women in Italy during World War II, was filmed in part in San Gimignano. The frescoes that the women save from being destroyed during the German Army's withdrawal are inside the Duomo, the town's main church. The account of this episode is, to a large extent, fictional, because, although there are reports of intended retribution against the town, there is no evidence of a plan to destroy the churches. However, the reference to risk of cultural destruction is historic, as the Allies bombed the area for ten days.

In the 2005 novel The Broker by John Grisham, Joel Backman takes his second of three wives on vacation in Italy to keep her from divorcing him. They rent a 14th-century monastery near San Gimignano for a month.

A 15th-century version of the town is featured in the 2009 video game Assassin's Creed II.

(Wikpedia)

Piazza della Cisterna is a piazza in San Gimignano, Italy. It has a triangular shape with a slight natural slope and is connected to the nearby Piazza del Duomo by an open passage. The pavement is brick and the piazza is surrounded by houses and medieval towers. There are presently 5 towers onto the square or very near it and the bases of other five are visible on the facade of the various palaces, plus one, the Ridolfi tower, which is no longer in existence having collapsed in 1646 onto the family palace, thus making this relatively small area a concentrate of medieval architecture. In the south-west corner, the piazza meets the Arc of Becci, (l'arco dei Becci), an ancient city gate. The arc is flanked by the massive rectangular towers of Becci (torri dei Becci) on the left and Cugnanesi (torri dei Cugnanesi) on the right.

Past the access to via di Castello, which led down to the original Bishop’s castle, the northern side is characterized by the renaissance Cortesi Palace, which includes la torre del Diavolo, and extends along the north side of the square including the old houses of the Cattani family. There remains of two pre-existing towers are clearly visible onto the facade of the Cortesi Palace.

The west side is adorned with various towers, like the twin towers of Ardinghelli and the tower of palazzo Pellari visible over the roofs.

History

The piazza is located at the intersection of two main streets of the village of San Gimignano: la via Francigena that run north to south and la via Pisa - [[Siena]that runs east to west]. The piazza was used as a market and a stage for festivals and tournaments. Originally the area was divided in two squares by the palace and tall tower of the Ridolfi family, the Piazza dell’ Olmo in the inferior and western part and the Piazza delle Taverne in the eastern side and with the cisterna in the middle. In 1646 the tall Ridolfi tower suddenly collapsed, destroying the palace and thus the two squares were merged into one, the Piazza della Cisterna.

The piazza is named after the underground cistern (Cisterna) built in 1287. The cistern is capped by a travertine octagonal pedestal, which was built in 1346 under the mayor Guccio Malavolti whose coat of arms with the ladder is carved onto the stones, and is close to the center of the square.

(Wikipedia)

San Gimignano ist eine italienische Kleinstadt in der Toskana mit einem mittelalterlichen Stadtkern. San Gimignano wird auch „Mittelalterliches Manhattan“ oder die „Stadt der Türme“ genannt. Die Stadt liegt in der Provinz Siena und hat 7717 Einwohner (Stand 31. Dezember 2019). Sie gehört neben Florenz, Siena und Pisa zu den von Touristen meistbesuchten Zielen in der Toskana.

Allgemeines

Der historische Stadtkern ist seit dem Jahr 1990 Teil des Weltkulturerbes der UNESCO. San Gimignano besitzt noch einige der mittelalterlichen Geschlechtertürme, die in anderen Städten nur als Stümpfe erhalten blieben. Im Mittelalter versuchten die Patrizierfamilien, sich in der Höhe ihres Geschlechterturmes zu übertreffen, obwohl ein luxuriöses Leben darin nicht möglich war. Von den einst 72 Geschlechtertürmen existieren in San Gimignano heute noch 15. Die beiden höchsten, der Torre Grossa aus dem Jahr 1311 und der Torre della Rognosa, weisen eine Höhe von 54 bzw. 51 Metern auf. Die Zisterne auf der Piazza della Cisterna entstand 1287 und wurde 1346 durch den Podestà Guccio Malavolti erweitert.

Geografie

Die Stadt liegt ca. 40 km südwestlich der Regionalhauptstadt Florenz und ca. 28 km nordwestlich der Provinzhauptstadt Siena an der Via Francigena und im Elsatal. San Gimignano liegt in der klimatischen Einordnung italienischer Gemeinden in der Zone D, 2 085 GR/G.

Zu den Ortsteilen gehören Badia a Elmi (94 m, gehört teilweise zu Certaldo), Castel San Gimignano (377 m, gehört teilweise zu Colle di Val d’Elsa), Pancole (272 m), Santa Lucia (268 m) und Ulignano. Weitere wichtige Orte im Gemeindegebiet sind Montauto (277 m), Monteoliveto (275 m) Ranza und San Donato (357 m). Größter Ortsteil ist Ulignano mit ca. 690 Einwohnern.

Die wichtigsten Flüsse im Gemeindegebiet sind der Elsa (4 von 81 km im Gemeindegebiet) sowie die Torrenti Foci (4 von 15 km im Gemeindegebiet) und Riguardi (7 von 7 km im Gemeindegebiet).

Die Nachbargemeinden sind Barberino Tavarnelle (FI), Certaldo (FI), Colle di Val d’Elsa, Gambassi Terme (FI), Poggibonsi und Volterra (PI).

Geschichte

San Gimignano soll bereits um 300 bis 200 v. Chr. von den Etruskern besiedelt worden sein. Erstmals dokumentiert wurde der Ort 929. Den Namen erhielt die Stadt von dem heiligen Bischof von Modena, San Gimignano. Es heißt, er habe das Dorf vor den barbarischen Horden des Totila geschützt.

Diese Stadt verdankt ihre Existenz der Via Francigena (Frankenstraße). Auf diesem Hauptverkehrsweg des mittelalterlichen Italiens zogen Händler und Pilger vom Norden nach Rom. Der Ort bildete sich als Marktstätte zwischen dem frühmittelalterlichen Castello und der Pieve, dem Vorgängerbau der Collegiata. Ein erster Stadtmauerring wurde im 10. Jahrhundert angelegt. Dessen Verlauf markieren zwei noch erhaltene Stadttore, im Norden der Arco della Cancelleria und im Süden der Arco dei Becci.

Vom 11. Jahrhundert an dehnte sich das Stadtgebiet entlang der Frankenstraße in nördlicher und südlicher Richtung aus. An die Existenz des früheren Castello erinnern die Via di Castello, eine der ältesten Straßen, und die Kirche von San Lorenzo, die bei der Zugbrücke lag. Mindestens seit dem Jahr 929 gehörte das Kastell den Bischöfen von Volterra. Diese Bischöfe waren es auch, die die Herrschaft über die sich ausdehnende Stadt ausübten. Erst 1199 gelang es den von den Bürgern gewählten Konsuln, Verträge ohne die Zustimmung des Bischofs zu unterzeichnen. San Gimignano war nie Bischofssitz, sondern gehörte zum kirchlichen Verwaltungsbezirk (Diözese) Volterra und erlangte somit auch keine Stadtrechte. Trotzdem verlief die politische Entwicklung der Landkommune in ähnlichen Schritten wie die der großen Städte. Die Regierung der Konsuln wurde durch den Podestà (einem gewählten Administrator) abgelöst. Diesem standen ein kleiner und ein großer Rat zur Seite. Dem großen Rat gehörte eine bemerkenswert hohe Zahl von 1200 Mitgliedern an, obwohl San Gimignano nur 6000 Einwohner hatte.

Die freie Kommune stritt bis ins 14. Jahrhundert mit den Bischöfen von Volterra in langjährigen Kriegen um Besitzrechte. Sie musste gegen die Nachbarorte Castelfiorentino, gegen Colle und Poggibonsi zu Felde ziehen und nahm auf der Seite des guelfischen Florenz an den großen Machtkämpfen des 13. Jahrhunderts teil. Auch innerhalb der Stadtmauern setzten sich die Kämpfe zwischen Guelfen (Welfen) und Ghibellinen (Waiblinger) fort. Es kam zu blutigen Familienfehden zwischen den Familien der Salvucci (Ghibellinen) und der Ardinghelli (Guelfen).

Ab Mai 1300 hielt sich Dante Alighieri in diplomatischer Mission in San Gimignano auf. Vom 15. Juni bis 15. August 1300 amtierte er als eines von sechs Mitgliedern des Priorats, des höchsten Gremiums der Stadt. Im Jahre 1319 versuchte er in seiner Funktion als führender Florentiner Politiker vergeblich, die verfeindeten Parteien zu versöhnen. Eine Kommune wie San Gimignano konnte sich im 14. Jahrhundert nicht mehr neben den Großmächten behaupten. Im Jahre 1348 wurde die Stadt neben Kriegsverlusten und Familienfehden durch die Pest stark geschwächt. Vier Jahre später, im Jahre 1352, begab sich die Stadt unter den Schutz von Florenz.

Die Blütezeit der Stadt dauerte 160 Jahre an, ihr Wohlstand beruhte auf Handel und dem Anbau von Safran, mit dem man Seidenstoffe färbte. Die Frankenstraße verlor im Spätmittelalter allmählich an Bedeutung, weil der Handel die bequemeren Wege durch die weitgehend trockengelegten Sümpfe der Ebenen vorzog. Die Stadt, die einst Gesetze gegen übertriebenen Luxus erlassen hatte, verarmte.

Hochrenaissance (ca. 1500 bis 1530) und Barock (1575 bis 1770) hinterließen in San Gimignano so gut wie keine Spuren. Die Stadt war niemals ein eigenständiges Kunstzentrum. Künstler aus Siena und Florenz malten die Fresken und Altartafeln. Die Paläste und Kirchen zeigen pisanische, sienesische, lucchesische und florentinische Stilmerkmale. In San Gimignano ist die Zeit scheinbar im Jahr 1563 stehengeblieben. Der erste der toskanischen Großherzöge, Cosimo I. de’ Medici, entschied, es dürfen „auch keine geringen Summen“ mehr in diese Stadt investiert werden. Das musste akzeptiert werden, und so ist San Gimignano geblieben, wie es damals war.

(Wikipedia)

Beauvais cathedral represents medieval architecture at it's most ambitious, it's vaulted ceilings are the highest ever built.

This ambition came at a price, with the choir vault collapsing soon after it was constructed, so considerable reinforcement in the form of extra columns accompanied their reconstruction.

As a result of such traumas work on the cathedral was slow, and by the late Middle Ages the transepts had only just been completed with their impressive, late Gothic facades. The nave awaited construction, but rather than focus on this an act of pure folly led to priority being given to an enormous steeple over the crossing instead, giving this already loftiest of cathedrals one of the tallest, most elaborate spires ever concieved.

It all ended in disaster after only three years; the already overburdened columns couldn't support such a load for long, especially given the absence of a nave to reinforce the west side of the crossing, and the whole steeple came crashing down in 1573, never to be rebuilt.

The damage caused by the fall of the spire was repaired but all hopes of completing the cathedral were abandoned and the west end boarded up in 'temporary' fashion as it remains to this day. Bizarrely the remaining section of the Romanesque church that preceeded the cathedral was left in place as a result, and being such a modest building is utterly dwarfed by the soaring gothic structure towering over it.

Sadly it was too late in the day to get inside the cathedral, and our hopes of doing so at the start of the trip had been scuppered by our being burdened with luggage (having just arrived from Beauvais airport) and there being no left luggage facility at the local station!

Formerly the abbey church of a Benedictine monastery dedicated to St Werburgh, since 1541 it has been the seat of the Bishop of Chester and now dedicated to Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The building dates from between 1093 and the early 1500s, although the site may have been used for Christian worship since Roman times.

All the major styles of English medieval architecture, from Norman to Perpendicular, are present in the building.

Chester Cathedral is a Grade I listed building.

Chester Cathedral in Lego

Westminster Abbey's Chapter House played a crucial role as the birthplace of Parliament, being used as the King's Council Chamber throughout the Middle Ages and even as the House of Commons itself during the 14th century. Following the closure of the monastery in 1540 the building was repurposed as a repository of state archives, a role it retained until 1863. During this time the medieval interior was mostly hidden under wooden structures and partitions, the original vault was removed (replaced by a flat wooden ceiling) and the great gothic windows were largely blocked in, losing most of their tracery in the process. Old illustrations and photographs show the building in a form unrecognisable from what we see today.

Salvation came with George Gilbert Scott's restoration in 1866-72, which saw the vault and windows reinstated to the original design. Much more was revealed besides, with a remarkable series of wall paintings uncovered (boarded over for centuries) along with a superb medieval tiled floor. Important medieval sculpture survives above the doorway in the figures of Gabriel and Mary (the latter also discovered in situ hidden behind boards).

The interior we see today is thus much restored but upon the basis of reliable evidence and incorporating unique surviving medieval artwork.

www.westminster-abbey.org/about-the-abbey/history/chapter...

Westminster Abbey is perhaps the most significant church in English History, site of the coronation of monarchs since it was founded by Edward the Confessor, and burial place of the majority of them, along with many other historical figures of note. It is first and foremost a superlative work of medieval architecture, from its soaring 13th-14th century nave, transepts and choir (all in a curiously French inspired version of Decorated Gothic) to the masterpiece of English Perpendicular, the incredibly lacy fan-vaulted Henry VII's chapel at the east end.

The Abbey is also a treasure house of ecclesiastical art, most of it monumental sculpture on the numerous tombs and effigies of almost every date ranging from the entire medieval period through to the 20th century; a somewhat cluttered interior, crammed full of interest, there is simply nothing else quite like it, no other church contains so many monuments.

The Abbey's monastic ranges partially survive, most notably the cloisters and superb chapter house; a short summary of the Abbey's riches is simply impossible. The monastery itself was shut down during the Dissolution, after which the Abbey briefly became a cathedral until its diocesan rank was revoked merely a decade later. Today it is designated a 'Royal Peculiar' owing to its unique status.

The Abbey is a textbook in stone of British history, and thus a hugely popular tourist attraction. It currently has more limited opening hours in the post-Covid recovery period and entry is not cheap, but happily after decades of a strict prohibition against photographers the rules have now been relaxed at last and visitors are now welcome to fully enjoy this marvellous building with their cameras!

For further details (and restrictions) see below:-

www.westminster-abbey.org/visit-us/photography-in-the-abbey

Gloucester Cathedral is one of England's finest churches, a masterpiece of medieval architecture consisting of a uniquely beautiful fusion of Norman Romanesque and Perpendicular Gothic from the mid 14th century onwards. Until the Reformation this was merely Gloucester's Abbey of St Peter, under Henry VIII it became one of six former monastic churches to be promoted to cathedral status, thus saving the great church from the ravages of the Dissolution.

The most obviously Norman part is the nave, immediately apparent on entering the building with it's round arches and thick columns (the exterior is the result of Gothic remodelling). Much of the remainder of the building is substantially the Norman structure also, but almost entirely modified in the later Middle Ages inside and out, the result of the great revenue brought to the abbey by pilgrims to the tomb of the murdered King Edward II in the choir. It was this transformation of the Norman church that is credited with launching the late gothic Perpendicular style in England.

The gothic choir is a unique and spectacular work, the walls so heavily panelled as to suggest a huge stone cage (disguising the Norman arches behind) crowned by a glorious net-like vault adorned with numerous bosses (those over the Altar with superb figures of Christ and angels) whilst the east wall is entirely glazing in delicate stone tracery, and still preserving most of it's original 14th century stained glass. The soaring central tower, also richly panelled with delicate pinnacles, is another testament to the abbey's increasing wealth at this time.

The latest medieval additions to the church are equally glorious, the Lady Chapel is entered through the enormous east window and is itself a largely glazed structure, though the original glass has been reduced to a few fragments in the east window, the remainder now contains beautiful Arts & Crafts stained glass by Christopher and Veronica Whall.

The early 16th century cloisters to the north of the nave are some of the most beautiful anywhere, being completely covered by exquisite fan vaulting, with a separate lavatorium (washing room) attached to the north walk as a miniature version of the main passages.

There is much more of interest, from 14th century choir stalls with misericords to the comprehensive collection of tombs and monuments of various dates, including the elaborate tomb of Edward II and that of Robert Duke of Normandy, eldest son of William the Conqueror. The stained glass also represents all ages, from the 14th century to the striking contemporary windows by Tom Denny.

Further areas of the cathedral can be accessed at certain times, such as the Norman crypt under the choir and the triforium gallery above.

Where does one start with Stowlangtoft? It was another name I'd seen for years on road-signs while visiting relatives in the area, a name that always stood out and yet we never came here. I had for some time known there were good things in the church here, but the opportunity to explore them failed to materialise, until now.

St George's church sits on high ground overlooking the main road through the village, a commanding presence rising from the surrounding trees, the tower with its squared off parapet looking a little dour compared to some of the more delicately designed Suffolk towers, but this is a handsome edifice nonetheless, built on a grand scale and all of a piece 15th century Perpendicular, though the windows are strangely narrow for the period, more concerned with height than width, much like the building itself which lacks side aisles, (which never seem to have been intended, this impressive mass was considered complete as it is).

As the church is little used now and generally kept locked it is necessary to seek out the key nearby and then enter by the priest's door on the south side of the chancel. This reveals the tall and narrow space within from the altar end, and transports one immediately into the midst of the finest carved woodwork in the church. The glass in the windows gives the interior a rather Victorian atmosphere, but this is soon forgotten when one focuses on the extensive late medieval furnishings which are the glory of this church; the nave pews are richly carved with all sorts of fantastical creatures on the bench ends, whilst in the chancel are the stalls with their reading desks and a set of six of the finest quality misericords to be seen anywhere in the country. Most of this appears to date from the last decades of the 15th century but some of the carvings seem to betray an origin in the early decades of the following century. This is a fascinating collection of carvings which kept me occupied for some time.

In the chancel is another late medieval treasure but not an indigenous one, a set of exquisite Flemish carvings depicting scenes from Christ's Passion that were given to the church in more recent years and incorporated into the paneling around the high altar (flanking the rather stodgy Victorian reredos). At the west end of the nave is the churches oldest feature, the 14th century font, the last relic of the previous church here.

Stowlangtoft church is usually kept locked so keyholder details are given, but fear not for they are friendly and live just over the road. Anyone planning to visit here should allow plenty of time (especially if like me they enjoy the carved wooden beasties of East Anglian bench ends as this church is full of them!). I had a more ambitious itinerary planned for this day, but having spent so long here I didn't get around to seeing some of my later targets (or they too were locked by the time I did). It was time well spent though, as this was easily the biggest highlight of the day.

www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/stowlangtoft.htm

Part of the outstanding scheme of Arts & Crafts glazing in the Lady Chapel at Gloucester, the largest commission ever undertaken by Christopher Whall between 1899 - c1913 (a final half window was added by Veronica Whall in 1926).

Gloucester Cathedral is one of England's finest churches, a masterpiece of medieval architecture consisting of a uniquely beautiful fusion of Norman Romanesque and Perpendicular Gothic from the mid 14th century onwards. Until the Reformation this was merely Gloucester's Abbey of St Peter, under Henry VIII it became one of six former monastic churches to be promoted to cathedral status, thus saving the great church from the ravages of the Dissolution.

The most obviously Norman part is the nave, immediately apparent on entering the building with it's round arches and thick columns (the exterior is the result of Gothic remodelling). Much of the remainder of the building is substantially the Norman structure also, but almost entirely modified in the later Middle Ages inside and out, the result of the great revenue brought to the abbey by pilgrims to the tomb of the murdered King Edward II in the choir. It was this transformation of the Norman church that is credited with launching the late gothic Perpendicular style in England.

The gothic choir is a unique and spectacular work, the walls so heavily panelled as to suggest a huge stone cage (disguising the Norman arches behind) crowned by a glorious net-like vault adorned with numerous bosses (those over the Altar with superb figures of Christ and angels) whilst the east wall is entirely glazing in delicate stone tracery, and still preserving most of it's original 14th century stained glass. The soaring central tower, also richly panelled with delicate pinnacles, is another testament to the abbey's increasing wealth at this time.

The latest medieval additions to the church are equally glorious, the Lady Chapel is entered through the enormous east window and is itself a largely glazed structure, though the original glass has been reduced to a few fragments in the east window, the remainder now contains beautiful Arts & Crafts stained glass by Christopher and Veronica Whall.

The early 16th century cloisters to the north of the nave are some of the most beautiful anywhere, being completely covered by exquisite fan vaulting, with a seperate lavatorium (washing room) attached to the north walk as a miniature version of the main passages.

There is much more of interest, from 14th century choir stalls with misericords to the comprehensive collection of tombs and monuments of various dates, including the elaborate tomb of Edward II and that of Robert Duke of Normandy, eldest son of William the Conqueror. The stained glass also represents all ages, from the 14th century to the striking contemporary windows by Tom Denny.

Further areas of the cathedral can be accessed at certain times, such as the Norman crypt under the choir and the triforium gallery above.

www.gloucestercathedral.org.uk/

My visit coincided with the major 'Crucible' exhibition of contemporary sculpture (September-October 2010), examples of which I will upload in due course.

Early evening mist lending the building a spooky air.

Late Medieval architecture inside the walls city of Rhodes

Pisa, Italy. The Pisa Cathedral and Leaning Tower are visible on the right.

The Pisa Baptistery of St. John is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical building in Pisa, Italy. Construction started in 1152 to replace an older baptistery, and when it was completed in 1363, it became the second building, in chronological order, in the Piazza dei Miracoli.

The largest baptistery in Italy, the Pisa Baptistery is an example of the transition from the Romanesque style to the Gothic style: the lower section is in the Romanesque style, with rounded arches, while the upper sections are in the Gothic style, with pointed arches. The Baptistery is constructed of marble, as is common in Italian architecture.

North chapel window by George Cooper Abbs of Exeter, 1960.

St John's sits at the entrance to Spon Street, that rare enclave of medieval architecture in Coventry's mostly post-war city centre. Being on the fringe of city's heart it generally gets less attention from visitors, thus one feels that in any other setting it would be far more celebrated, George Gilbert Scott, who restored the church in 1877, considered it 'one of the most beautiful churches in England'. The church luckily escaped major damage in the November 1940 Blitz that destroyed so much else in the city, beyond the loss of much (but not all) of it's Victorian stained glass.

The church was founded in 1342 by Queen Isabella, mother of Edward III, but most of what we see today is 15th century work, though evidently of different phases. The church sits on a relatively small site, but what it lacks in length and width it gains in height, and with it's tapering and unusually narrow clerestorey windows and central tower it gives the impression of a cathedral in miniature. The tower has oddly corbelled-out turrets at it's corners, an over-exaggeration of the original design by Scott; his main intervention on the exterior otherwise was the renewal of much of the stonework, since warm red sandstone is one of the least resistant to weathering.

The interior is surprisingly light for a sandstone church, the result of the large Perpendicular windows and extensive clerestorey that creates a 'glass cage' effect in the higher parts of the church. It is also rather narrow, which accentuates the proportions and sense of height further, a good example of architectural limitations and constraints turned to an advantage. There are some good medieval carvings surviving higher up, but otherwise aside from the fine Perpendicular architecture itself the impression is largely of early 20th century High Church Anglican worship, as most of the furnishings appear to date from this time, though they are nonetheless attractive and sympathetic to the building.

The lack of any relics of the Middle Ages in wood or glass or monuments of later periods is explained by the history of the church, since it actually ceased to be used for worship in the 1590s and for several centuries suffered various indignities of secular use, such as a prison for Scottish rebels captured after the Battle of Preston during the Civil War in 1648 (these rebels, loyal to the King, were shunned in the Parliamentarian held city, thus the phrase being 'Sent to Coventry' was born!). Other uses included as a stables, a market and a winding and dying house for cloth, before being eventually restored to church use in the 19th century. We should at least be glad that being put to other uses at least preserved the structure through it's centuries of hibernation.

The church posesses an interesting mixture of stained glass, from Victorian and Edwardian pieces that survived the bombing, to the more prominent and colourful windows installed in the 1950s. However it is interesting to note how the postwar glass here predates the nearby Cathedral's windows by only a few years, but is still highly figurative and traditional in approach, thus still a far cry from the revolutionary new works that Coventry became famous for less than a decade later.

St John's is open on saturday mornings but otherwise kept locked owing to concerns over security. Sadly it has suffered attacks from stone-throwing idiots on several occasions in recent years (I have repaired minor damage to several of the windows here) but the parishoners remain welcoming and friendly in spite of a difficult environment. It is a lovely church and well worth a visit.

For more detail and images see it's entry on the Warwickshire Churches website below:-

warwickshirechurches.weebly.com/coventry---st-john-the-ba...

The final church of my trip (thirteen in all) and my favourite of the day, so this itinerary was saving the best till last! St Mary's at Much Cowarne stands dramatically situated on high ground in an exposed spot by a farm; a pretty robust looking building, its sturdy square west tower staring out defiantly as the ground falls away to its west. The tower was formerly crowned by a wooden spire, but this was lost to a lightning strike in 1840 which caused a serious fire.

The church appear mainly to be of 14th century date (the tower a little older) and impresses with its sense of mass, not significantly diminished by the loss of its north aisle which has had the curious effect of leaving the former north nave arcade exposed externally, its three arches simply filled with masonry (one with a medieval doorway relocated within it, itself since blocked, suggesting all this material was recycled from the former north aisle walls).

Within the church seems pleasingly uncluttered, spacious and light (even on a dull afternoon), and all evidence of the missing north aisle (so noticeable externally) is hidden under plaster. The chancel arch is quite small with much space above, pierced intriguingly by three small quatrefoil lights. The most interesting features are in the south aisle, two of the church's three monuments with effigies, one medieval, the rest early 17th century (the other is in the chancel). The oldest is the effigy of a knight, believed to be Grimaldus Pauncefoot who fought in the 7th crusade and was captured by Saladin (a ransom was demanded of his wife's severed hand: this was dutifully sent from England, thus procuring Pauncefoot's release!).

This is was a most rewarding church to finish on and one that was happily open and welcoming in pre-Covid days. I was intrigued to read that composer Sir Edward Elgar had also arrived here on a similar cycling expedition a century before me, and hope it will continue to likewise reward others yet to visit.

More on the church (especially the tombs) at the link below:-

www.britainexpress.com/counties/hereford/churches/much-co...

Beautiful castle in the Czech republic

Gloucester Cathedral is one of England's finest churches, a masterpiece of medieval architecture consisting of a uniquely beautiful fusion of Norman Romanesque and Perpendicular Gothic from the mid 14th century onwards. Until the Reformation this was merely Gloucester's Abbey of St Peter, under Henry VIII it became one of six former monastic churches to be promoted to cathedral status, thus saving the great church from the ravages of the Dissolution.

The most obviously Norman part is the nave, immediately apparent on entering the building with it's round arches and thick columns (the exterior is the result of Gothic remodelling). Much of the remainder of the building is substantially the Norman structure also, but almost entirely modified in the later Middle Ages inside and out, the result of the great revenue brought to the abbey by pilgrims to the tomb of the murdered King Edward II in the choir. It was this transformation of the Norman church that is credited with launching the late gothic Perpendicular style in England.

The gothic choir is a unique and spectacular work, the walls so heavily panelled as to suggest a huge stone cage (disguising the Norman arches behind) crowned by a glorious net-like vault adorned with numerous bosses (those over the Altar with superb figures of Christ and angels) whilst the east wall is entirely glazing in delicate stone tracery, and still preserving most of it's original 14th century stained glass. The soaring central tower, also richly panelled with delicate pinnacles, is another testament to the abbey's increasing wealth at this time.

The latest medieval additions to the church are equally glorious, the Lady Chapel is entered through the enormous east window and is itself a largely glazed structure, though the original glass has been reduced to a few fragments in the east window, the remainder now contains beautiful Arts & Crafts stained glass by Christopher and Veronica Whall.

The early 16th century cloisters to the north of the nave are some of the most beautiful anywhere, being completely covered by exquisite fan vaulting, with a seperate lavatorium (washing room) attached to the north walk as a miniature version of the main passages.

There is much more of interest, from 14th century choir stalls with misericords to the comprehensive collection of tombs and monuments of various dates, including the elaborate tomb of Edward II and that of Robert Duke of Normandy, eldest son of William the Conqueror. The stained glass also represents all ages, from the 14 th century to the striking contemporary windows by Tom Denny.

Further areas of the cathedral can be accessed at certain times, such as the Norman crypt under the choir and the triforium gallery above.

My visit coincided with the major 'Crucible' exhibition of contemporary sculpture (September-October 2010), examples of which I will upload in due course.

Memorial to Thomas Machen (d.1614) and his wife Christian (d.1615) in the north aisle.

Gloucester Cathedral is one of England's finest churches, a masterpiece of medieval architecture consisting of a uniquely beautiful fusion of Norman Romanesque and Perpendicular Gothic from the mid 14th century onwards. Until the Reformation this was merely Gloucester's Abbey of St Peter, under Henry VIII it became one of six former monastic churches to be promoted to cathedral status, thus saving the great church from the ravages of the Dissolution.

The most obviously Norman part is the nave, immediately apparent on entering the building with it's round arches and thick columns (the exterior is the result of Gothic remodelling). Much of the remainder of the building is substantially the Norman structure also, but almost entirely modified in the later Middle Ages inside and out, the result of the great revenue brought to the abbey by pilgrims to the tomb of the murdered King Edward II in the choir. It was this transformation of the Norman church that is credited with launching the late gothic Perpendicular style in England.

The gothic choir is a unique and spectacular work, the walls so heavily panelled as to suggest a huge stone cage (disguising the Norman arches behind) crowned by a glorious net-like vault adorned with numerous bosses (those over the Altar with superb figures of Christ and angels) whilst the east wall is entirely glazing in delicate stone tracery, and still preserving most of it's original 14th century stained glass. The soaring central tower, also richly panelled with delicate pinnacles, is another testament to the abbey's increasing wealth at this time.

The latest medieval additions to the church are equally glorious, the Lady Chapel is entered through the enormous east window and is itself a largely glazed structure, though the original glass has been reduced to a few fragments in the east window, the remainder now contains beautiful Arts & Crafts stained glass by Christopher and Veronica Whall.

The early 16th century cloisters to the north of the nave are some of the most beautiful anywhere, being completely covered by exquisite fan vaulting, with a separate lavatorium (washing room) attached to the north walk as a miniature version of the main passages.

There is much more of interest, from 14th century choir stalls with misericords to the comprehensive collection of tombs and monuments of various dates, including the elaborate tomb of Edward II and that of Robert Duke of Normandy, eldest son of William the Conqueror. The stained glass also represents all ages, from the 14th century to the striking contemporary windows by Tom Denny.

Further areas of the cathedral can be accessed at certain times, such as the Norman crypt under the choir and the triforium gallery above.

Gloucester Cathedral is one of England's finest churches, a masterpiece of medieval architecture consisting of a uniquely beautiful fusion of Norman Romanesque and Perpendicular Gothic from the mid 14th century onwards. Until the Reformation this was merely Gloucester's Abbey of St Peter, under Henry VIII it became one of six former monastic churches to be promoted to cathedral status, thus saving the great church from the ravages of the Dissolution.

The most obviously Norman part is the nave, immediately apparent on entering the building with it's round arches and thick columns (the exterior is the result of Gothic remodelling). Much of the remainder of the building is substantially the Norman structure also, but almost entirely modified in the later Middle Ages inside and out, the result of the great revenue brought to the abbey by pilgrims to the tomb of the murdered King Edward II in the choir. It was this transformation of the Norman church that is credited with launching the late gothic Perpendicular style in England.

The gothic choir is a unique and spectacular work, the walls so heavily panelled as to suggest a huge stone cage (disguising the Norman arches behind) crowned by a glorious net-like vault adorned with numerous bosses (those over the Altar with superb figures of Christ and angels) whilst the east wall is entirely glazing in delicate stone tracery, and still preserving most of it's original 14th century stained glass. The soaring central tower, also richly panelled with delicate pinnacles, is another testament to the abbey's increasing wealth at this time.

The latest medieval additions to the church are equally glorious, the Lady Chapel is entered through the enormous east window and is itself a largely glazed structure, though the original glass has been reduced to a few fragments in the east window, the remainder now contains beautiful Arts & Crafts stained glass by Christopher and Veronica Whall.

The early 16th century cloisters to the north of the nave are some of the most beautiful anywhere, being completely covered by exquisite fan vaulting, with a seperate lavatorium (washing room) attached to the north walk as a miniature version of the main passages.

There is much more of interest, from 14th century choir stalls with misericords to the comprehensive collection of tombs and monuments of various dates, including the elaborate tomb of Edward II and that of Robert Duke of Normandy, eldest son of William the Conqueror. The stained glass also represents all ages, from the 14th century to the striking contemporary windows by Tom Denny.

Further areas of the cathedral can be accessed at certain times, such as the Norman crypt under the choir and the triforium gallery above.

My visit coincided with the major 'Crucible' exhibition of contemporary sculpture (September-October 2010), examples of which I will upload in due course.

Peterborough Cathedral is one of England's finest buildings, an almost complete Romanesque church on an impressive scale sitting behind one of the most unique and eccentric Gothic facades found anywhere in medieval Europe. The church we see today is little altered since its completion in the 13th century aside from inevitable 19th century restorations and the serious depradations of Civil War damage in the mid 17th century.

The bulk of the church is 12th century Norman, retaining even its apse (a rarity in England) and even the original flat wooden ceilings of nave and transept. The nave ceiling retains its early medieval painted decoration with an assortment of figures set within lozenge shaped panels (mostly overpainted in the 18th and 19th centuries but the overall effect is preserved). The 13th century west facade is the most dramatic and memorable feature of the building, with three vast Gothic arches forming a giant porch in front of the building, a unique design, flanked by small spires and intended to be surmounted by two pinnacled towers rising just behind the facade, though only that on the north side was finished (and originally surmounted by a wooden spire which was removed c1800). The central tower is a surprisingly squat structure of 14th century date (with a striking vaulted ceiling within) and along with its counterpart at the west end makes surprisingly little presence on the city's skyline for such an enormous building. The final addition to the church prior to the Reformation is the ambulatory around the apse, a superb example of late medieval perpendicular with a stunning fan-vaulted ceiling.

Given the vast scale of the building it is perhaps surprising to learn that it has only had cathedral status since 1541, prior to that it had been simply Peterborough Abbey, but it was one of the most well endowed monastic houses in the country, as witnessed by the architecture. It was once the burial place of two queens, Katherine of Aragon lies on the north side of the choir and Mary Queen of Scots was originally interred here before her son James I had her body moved to the more prestigious surroundings of Westminster.

Sadly the cathedral suffered miserably during the Civil War when Parliamentarian troops ransacked the church and former monastic buildings in an orgy of destruction, much of which was overseen by Cromwell himself in person (which helps explain its thoroughness). Tombs and monuments were brutally defaced, and nearly all the original furnishings and woodwork were destroyed, along with every bit of stained glass in all the vast windows (only the merest fragments remain today in the high windows of the apse). Worse still, the delightful cloisters on the south side, once famed for the beauty of their painted windows, were demolished leaving only their outer walls and some tantalising reminders of their former richness. The magnificent 13th century Lady Chapel attached to the north transept (an unusual arrangement, similar to that at Ely) was another major casualty, demolished immediately after the war so that its materials could be sold in order to raise funds for the restoration of the cathedral following the Cromwellian rampage.

In the following centuries much was done to repair the building and bring it back into order. There were major restorations during the 19th century, which included the dismantling and rebuilding of the central tower (following the same design and reusing original material) owing to impending structural failure in the crossing piers.

What we see today is thus a marvel of architecture, a church of great beauty, but a somewhat hollow one owing to the misfortunes of history. One therefore doesn't find at Peterborough the same clutter of the centuries that other cathedrals often possess (in terms of tombs and furnishings) and there are few windows of real note, but for the grandeur of its architecture it is one of the very finest churches we have.

For more history see the link below:-

www.peterborough-cathedral.org.uk/history.aspx

Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland.

"St Magnus Cathedral is the most northerly cathedral in the United Kingdom, a fine example of Romanesque architecture built for the bishops of Orkney when the islands were ruled by the Norse Earls of Orkney. It is owned not by the church, but by the burgh of Kirkwall as a result of an act of King James III of Scotland following Orkney's annexation by the Scottish Crown in 1468. It has its own dungeon.

Construction began in 1137, and it was added to over the next 300 years. The first bishop was William the Old, and the diocese was under the authority of the Archbishop of Nidaros in Norway. It was for Bishop William that the nearby Bishop's Palace was built."

Gloucester Cathedral is one of England's finest churches, a masterpiece of medieval architecture consisting of a uniquely beautiful fusion of Norman Romanesque and Perpendicular Gothic from the mid 14th century onwards. Until the Reformation this was merely Gloucester's Abbey of St Peter, under Henry VIII it became one of six former monastic churches to be promoted to cathedral status, thus saving the great church from the ravages of the Dissolution.

The most obviously Norman part is the nave, immediately apparent on entering the building with it's round arches and thick columns (the exterior is the result of Gothic remodelling). Much of the remainder of the building is substantially the Norman structure also, but almost entirely modified in the later Middle Ages inside and out, the result of the great revenue brought to the abbey by pilgrims to the tomb of the murdered King Edward II in the choir. It was this transformation of the Norman church that is credited with launching the late gothic Perpendicular style in England.

The gothic choir is a unique and spectacular work, the walls so heavily panelled as to suggest a huge stone cage (disguising the Norman arches behind) crowned by a glorious net-like vault adorned with numerous bosses (those over the Altar with superb figures of Christ and angels) whilst the east wall is entirely glazing in delicate stone tracery, and still preserving most of it's original 14th century stained glass. The soaring central tower, also richly panelled with delicate pinnacles, is another testament to the abbey's increasing wealth at this time.

The latest medieval additions to the church are equally glorious, the Lady Chapel is entered through the enormous east window and is itself a largely glazed structure, though the original glass has been reduced to a few fragments in the east window, the remainder now contains beautiful Arts & Crafts stained glass by Christopher and Veronica Whall.

The early 16th century cloisters to the north of the nave are some of the most beautiful anywhere, being completely covered by exquisite fan vaulting, with a seperate lavatorium (washing room) attached to the north walk as a miniature version of the main passages.

There is much more of interest, from 14th century choir stalls with misericords to the comprehensive collection of tombs and monuments of various dates, including the elaborate tomb of Edward II and that of Robert Duke of Normandy, eldest son of William the Conqueror. The stained glass also represents all ages, from the 14th century to the striking contemporary windows by Tom Denny.

Further areas of the cathedral can be accessed at certain times, such as the Norman crypt under the choir and the triforium gallery above.

My visit coincided with the major 'Crucible' exhibition of contemporary sculpture (September-October 2010), examples of which I will upload in due course.

A familiar landmark in north Birmingham, Aston's parish church of SS Peter & Paul is also the most substantial piece of medieval architecture left anywhere near the city centre, or rather would have been had it not been so completely rebuilt in 1879-90 by J.A.Chatwin (whose work seems synonymous with Birmingham's older churches!), leaving just the 14th century west tower (with it's curiously designed upper stage, adorned with deeply recessed blank arcading) and spire. It is nonetheless a splendid sight in this otherwise not too glamourous area, and Chatwin's work is a solid exercise in neo-Perpendicular, adorned with much fine carved detail and an apse reminiscent of old St Michael's in Coventry.

The interior is most impressive, somewhat dark but richly decorated, with a mixed bag of Victorian glass (Hardman's in the apse, where I was shown the pink giraffe!) and very much of it's time, all under a fine hammerbeam roof, more elaborate over the chancel, as is the stonework generally with dramatic cusped ogee arches providing a setting for some of the many tombs. There are several good medieval monuments with effigies, mostly to the Holte family and the bulk concentrated in the Erdington Chapel on the south side. None are of the highest quality or best condition, but a worthy collection nevertheless. The largest monument is the 1620s Devereux tomb with it's canopy but rather difficult to see in it's somewhat blackened state in a dark corner. There are also many Baroque and later wall tablets adorned with putti etc distributed throughout the aisles.

What would have been the most important piece of stained glass is currently stored in a crate in the north aisle, it is a large single-arched composition by Francis Eginton from 1798 with a female figure ascending to Heaven. It had been originally installed in the Erdington Chapel, but relocated in the Victorian rebuilding and hidden behind the organ for years, until more recently being removed following vandal damage. The church has no funds to restore it with and no space to put it in, but it is clearly an important work that needs to be back on display somewhere, perhaps the City Museum & Art Gallery, since they have an extensive stained glass display?

I'd been intending to visit this church for some time, but had heard it was rather difficult to get inside. I'd phoned the parish office before I left home and a very helpful young lady answered and said it'd be no problem whilst she was around (till 12ish) so I broke my journey to Erdington and made the shortish walk from Aston railway station. After struggling to find which door to knock on she emerged and kindly escorted me through the offices into the church, and after a brief introduction left me to snap away by myself. I'm afraid I got a bit carried away and when nobody arrived at 12 to lock up I pushed my luck and carried on a bit longer, only to find the poor girl was waiting patiently around the corner! I apologised and should add how grateful we should be to such individuals who generously give their time for our enjoyment of the buildings in their care.

A familiar landmark in north Birmingham, Aston's parish church of SS Peter & Paul is also the most substantial piece of medieval architecture left anywhere near the city centre, or rather would have been had it not been so completely rebuilt in 1879-90 by J.A.Chatwin (whose work seems synonymous with Birmingham's older churches!), leaving just the 14th century west tower (with it's curiously designed upper stage, adorned with deeply recessed blank arcading) and spire. It is nonetheless a splendid sight in this otherwise not too glamourous area, and Chatwin's work is a solid exercise in neo-Perpendicular, adorned with much fine carved detail and an apse reminiscent of old St Michael's in Coventry.

The interior is most impressive, somewhat dark but richly decorated, with a mixed bag of Victorian glass (Hardman's in the apse, where I was shown the pink giraffe!) and very much of it's time, all under a fine hammerbeam roof, more elaborate over the chancel, as is the stonework generally with dramatic cusped ogee arches providing a setting for some of the many tombs. There are several good medieval monuments with effigies, mostly to the Holte family and the bulk concentrated in the Erdington Chapel on the south side. None are of the highest quality or best condition, but a worthy collection nevertheless. The largest monument is the 1620s Devereux tomb with it's canopy but rather difficult to see in it's somewhat blackened state in a dark corner. There are also many Baroque and later wall tablets adorned with putti etc distributed throughout the aisles.

What would have been the most important piece of stained glass is currently stored in a crate in the north aisle, it is a large single-arched composition by Francis Eginton from 1798 with a female figure ascending to Heaven. It had been originally installed in the Erdington Chapel, but relocated in the Victorian rebuilding and hidden behind the organ for years, until more recently being removed following vandal damage. The church has no funds to restore it with and no space to put it in, but it is clearly an important work that needs to be back on display somewhere, perhaps the City Museum & Art Gallery, since they have an extensive stained glass display?

I'd been intending to visit this church for some time, but had heard it was rather difficult to get inside. I'd phoned the parish office before I left home and a very helpful young lady answered and said it'd be no problem whilst she was around (till 12ish) so I broke my journey to Erdington and made the shortish walk from Aston railway station. After struggling to find which door to knock on she emerged and kindly escorted me through the offices into the church, and after a brief introduction left me to snap away by myself. I'm afraid I got a bit carried away and when nobody arrived at 12 to lock up I pushed my luck and carried on a bit longer, only to find the poor girl was waiting patiently around the corner! I apologised and should add how grateful we should be to such individuals who generously give their time for our enjoyment of the buildings in their care.

Late 15th century knight's tomb, presumed to be that of Sir William Harcourt.

A familiar landmark in north Birmingham, Aston's parish church of SS Peter & Paul is also the most substantial piece of medieval architecture left anywhere near the city centre, or rather would have been had it not been so completely rebuilt in 1879-90 by J.A.Chatwin (whose work seems synonymous with Birmingham's older churches!), leaving just the 14th century west tower (with it's curiously designed upper stage, adorned with deeply recessed blank arcading) and spire. It is nonetheless a splendid sight in this otherwise not too glamourous area, and Chatwin's work is a solid exercise in neo-Perpendicular, adorned with much fine carved detail and an apse reminiscent of old St Michael's in Coventry.

The interior is most impressive, somewhat dark but richly decorated, with a mixed bag of Victorian glass (Hardman's in the apse, where I was shown the pink giraffe!) and very much of it's time, all under a fine hammerbeam roof, more elaborate over the chancel, as is the stonework generally with dramatic cusped ogee arches providing a setting for some of the many tombs. There are several good medieval monuments with effigies, mostly to the Holte family and the bulk concentrated in the Erdington Chapel on the south side. None are of the highest quality or best condition, but a worthy collection nevertheless. The largest monument is the 1620s Devereux tomb with it's canopy but rather difficult to see in it's somewhat blackened state in a dark corner. There are also many Baroque and later wall tablets adorned with putti etc distributed throughout the aisles.

What would have been the most important piece of stained glass is currently stored in a crate in the north aisle, it is a large single-arched composition by Francis Eginton from 1798 with a female figure ascending to Heaven. It had been originally installed in the Erdington Chapel, but relocated in the Victorian rebuilding and hidden behind the organ for years, until more recently being removed following vandal damage. The church has no funds to restore it with and no space to put it in, but it is clearly an important work that needs to be back on display somewhere, perhaps the City Museum & Art Gallery, since they have an extensive stained glass display?

I'd been intending to visit this church for some time, but had heard it was rather difficult to get inside. I'd phoned the parish office before I left home and a very helpful young lady answered and said it'd be no problem whilst she was around (till 12ish) so I broke my journey to Erdington and made the shortish walk from Aston railway station. After struggling to find which door to knock on she emerged and kindly escorted me through the offices into the church, and after a brief introduction left me to snap away by myself. I'm afraid I got a bit carried away and when nobody arrived at 12 to lock up I pushed my luck and carried on a bit longer, only to find the poor girl was waiting patiently around the corner! I apologised and should add how grateful we should be to such individuals who generously give their time for our enjoyment of the buildings in their care.

Detail from the magnificent chantry chapel of Prince Arthur at Worcester, a masterpiece of late medieval architecture and sculpture and the last resting place of Henry VIII's elder brother.

Unusually, most of the medieval statuary of the chapel has survived both Reformation and Civil War though the main reredos figures have been defaced, though it seems the primary motive here was to remove the extremeties of the sculptures, allowing a flatter surface to board or plaster over! Nonetheless enough survives to give a good indication of their quality.

Worcester Cathedral is the commanding presence on the skyline of the city, perched on high ground overlooking the River Severn. It is one of England's most rewarding cathedrals, though denied first rank status owing to the heavy handed Victorian restorations it underwent, an unavoidable consequence of being built of soft red sandstone (a problem shared with Chester and Lichfield) and thus a 19th century feel pervades inside and out in it's mostly renewed external stonework and furnishings.

The cathedral impresses with it's scale, one or our longer churches, crowned by a magnificent central tower (originally surmounted by a lead spire, lost sometime after the Refomation; subtle alterations to the tower's design were made when it was refaced in the Victorian restoration) and with a secondary pair of transepts flanking the choir (as at Salisbury, Lincoln, Rochester & Canterbury). Of the former monastic buildings the cloister and Norman chapter house have survived (along with the refectory, now part of neighbouring King's School), making this a more complex and enjoyable building to explore.

The earliest parts are of the Norman period with the superb 12th century crypt under the choir. The west end of the nave is also Norman work, though very late and unusual in design, with transitional pointed arches. However the bulk of the building we see dates from the 13th and 14th centuries, the east end in Early English gothic style (where most of the windows were restored to stepped lancets by Sir George Gilbert Scott during the Victorian restoration, having been altered over the centuries), whilst the remainder of the nave and tower largely of the Decorated period (the cathedral originally also possessed a detached octagonal bell tower with a lead spire, which stood near the north east corner but was demolished in 1647).

Of the original furnishings little remains beyond the fine set of misericords in the choir stalls. The stained glass too is nearly entirely Victorian (only some meagre, much restored medieval fragments survive in traceries of the south aisle). Much of the Victorian glass is quite impressive, particularly the great east and west windows by Hardman's of Birmingham.

Worcester is however especially rich in tombs and monuments of all periods, with medieval effigies of bishops, knights and ladies, not all in good condition but worth seeking out. There are also several large tombs from the post-Reformation period (especially in the cluttered south aisle) and some fine Baroque work in the north transept.

The most significant of the monuments here are Royal; in the centre of the choir lies the fine 13th century effigy of King John, best remembered for signing the Magna Carta. Nearby is the superb chantry chapel of Prince Arthur, elder brother of Henry VIII, whose premature death aged 15 changed England forever (one of the most pivotal moments in our history, had he survived the Reformation may never have happened). The gorgeous late Perpendicular gothic chapel stands to the south of the High Altar and is remarkable for it's rich sculpted detail.

www.worcestercathedral.co.uk/

Window from 1961 by Harry Clarke Studios of Dublin (over 20 years after the death of Clarke himself). The design depicts the Risen Christ surrounded by vignettes representing the Seven Sacraments.

St John's sits at the entrance to Spon Street, that rare enclave of medieval architecture in Coventry's mostly post-war city centre. Being on the fringe of city's heart it generally gets less attention from visitors, thus one feels that in any other setting it would be far more celebrated, George Gilbert Scott, who restored the church in 1877, considered it 'one of the most beautiful churches in England'. The church luckily escaped major damage in the November 1940 Blitz that destroyed so much else in the city, beyond the loss of much (but not all) of it's Victorian stained glass.

The church was founded in 1342 by Queen Isabella, mother of Edward III, but most of what we see today is 15th century work, though evidently of different phases. The church sits on a relatively small site, but what it lacks in length and width it gains in height, and with it's tapering and unusually narrow clerestorey windows and central tower it gives the impression of a cathedral in miniature. The tower has oddly corbelled-out turrets at it's corners, an over-exaggeration of the original design by Scott; his main intervention on the exterior otherwise was the renewal of much of the stonework, since warm red sandstone is one of the least resistant to weathering.

The interior is surprisingly light for a sandstone church, the result of the large Perpendicular windows and extensive clerestorey that creates a 'glass cage' effect in the higher parts of the church. It is also rather narrow, which accentuates the proportions and sense of height further, a good example of architectural limitations and constraints turned to an advantage. There are some good medieval carvings surviving higher up, but otherwise aside from the fine Perpendicular architecture itself the impression is largely of early 20th century High Church Anglican worship, as most of the furnishings appear to date from this time, though they are nonetheless attractive and sympathetic to the building.

The lack of any relics of the Middle Ages in wood or glass or monuments of later periods is explained by the history of the church, since it actually ceased to be used for worship in the 1590s and for several centuries suffered various indignities of secular use, such as a prison for Scottish rebels captured after the Battle of Preston during the Civil War in 1648 (these rebels, loyal to the King, were shunned in the Parliamentarian held city, thus the phrase being 'Sent to Coventry' was born!). Other uses included as a stables, a market and a winding and dying house for cloth, before being eventually restored to church use in the 19th century. We should be glad that being put to other uses at least preserved the structure through it's centuries of hibernation.

The church possesses an interesting mixture of stained glass, from Victorian and Edwardian pieces that survived the bombing, to the more prominent and colourful windows installed in the 1950s. However it is interesting to note how the postwar glass here predates the nearby Cathedral's windows by only a few years, but is still highly figurative and traditional in approach, thus still a far cry from the revolutionary new works that Coventry became famous for less than a decade later.

St John's is generally open on Saturday mornings but otherwise kept locked owing to concerns over security. Sadly it has suffered attacks from stone-throwing idiots on several occasions in recent years (I have repaired minor damage to several of the windows here) but the parishoners remain welcoming and friendly in spite of a difficult environment. It is a lovely church and well worth a visit.

For more detail and images see it's entry on the Warwickshire Churches website below:-

warwickshirechurches.weebly.com/coventry---st-john-the-ba...

Window from 1961 by Harry Clarke Studios of Dublin (over 20 years after the death of Clarke himself). The design depicts the Risen Christ surrounded by vignettes representing the Seven Sacraments.

St John's sits at the entrance to Spon Street, that rare enclave of medieval architecture in Coventry's mostly post-war city centre. Being on the fringe of city's heart it generally gets less attention from visitors, thus one feels that in any other setting it would be far more celebrated, George Gilbert Scott, who restored the church in 1877, considered it 'one of the most beautiful churches in England'. The church luckily escaped major damage in the November 1940 Blitz that destroyed so much else in the city, beyond the loss of much (but not all) of it's Victorian stained glass.

The church was founded in 1342 by Queen Isabella, mother of Edward III, but most of what we see today is 15th century work, though evidently of different phases. The church sits on a relatively small site, but what it lacks in length and width it gains in height, and with it's tapering and unusually narrow clerestorey windows and central tower it gives the impression of a cathedral in miniature. The tower has oddly corbelled-out turrets at it's corners, an over-exaggeration of the original design by Scott; his main intervention on the exterior otherwise was the renewal of much of the stonework, since warm red sandstone is one of the least resistant to weathering.

The interior is surprisingly light for a sandstone church, the result of the large Perpendicular windows and extensive clerestorey that creates a 'glass cage' effect in the higher parts of the church. It is also rather narrow, which accentuates the proportions and sense of height further, a good example of architectural limitations and constraints turned to an advantage. There are some good medieval carvings surviving higher up, but otherwise aside from the fine Perpendicular architecture itself the impression is largely of early 20th century High Church Anglican worship, as most of the furnishings appear to date from this time, though they are nonetheless attractive and sympathetic to the building.

The lack of any relics of the Middle Ages in wood or glass or monuments of later periods is explained by the history of the church, since it actually ceased to be used for worship in the 1590s and for several centuries suffered various indignities of secular use, such as a prison for Scottish rebels captured after the Battle of Preston during the Civil War in 1648 (these rebels, loyal to the King, were shunned in the Parliamentarian held city, thus the phrase being 'Sent to Coventry' was born!). Other uses included as a stables, a market and a winding and dying house for cloth, before being eventually restored to church use in the 19th century. We should be glad that being put to other uses at least preserved the structure through it's centuries of hibernation.

The church possesses an interesting mixture of stained glass, from Victorian and Edwardian pieces that survived the bombing, to the more prominent and colourful windows installed in the 1950s. However it is interesting to note how the postwar glass here predates the nearby Cathedral's windows by only a few years, but is still highly figurative and traditional in approach, thus still a far cry from the revolutionary new works that Coventry became famous for less than a decade later.

St John's is generally open on Saturday mornings but otherwise kept locked owing to concerns over security. Sadly it has suffered attacks from stone-throwing idiots on several occasions in recent years (I have repaired minor damage to several of the windows here) but the parishoners remain welcoming and friendly in spite of a difficult environment. It is a lovely church and well worth a visit.

For more detail and images see it's entry on the Warwickshire Churches website below:-

warwickshirechurches.weebly.com/coventry---st-john-the-ba...

Tuscania Basilica di San Pietro

it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiesa_di_San_Pietro_(Tuscania)

Of all the churches I planned to see on this excursion this was the one that I was the most excited about, not only is Blythburgh one of Suffolk's finest but among the best and grandest parish churches in the country, all the more surprising in this rural location. I'd known about it for decades, so it was most satisfying to finally get to see it for myself.

Holy Trinity at Blythburgh dates mostly from the 15th century, a grand essay in the Perpendicular Gothic style. The first impression is of flint walls punctuated by a mass of windows, especially in the clerestorey above, along with the building's great size and length. The is much ornamental carving around the windows and parapet, most strikingly the carved figures that stand in place of pinnacles. The tower by contrast appears rather plain, a stern sentinel watching over the building; this is in part due to storm damage in 1577 which brought down the steeple and is likely when the belfry windows lost their tracery and received their current boarded-over appearance. The south porch below makes a grand statement and beckons us to enter, noting the unusual survival of a water-stoup.

Inside a vast space is revealed, well lit by mostly clear-glazed windows and and filled with ancient woodwork. Not only is this church beautiful it is also delightfully authentic, having undergone little restoration over the centuries (it must have been a heavy burden for such a small community) and thus is a place of real ageless atmosphere, most of the furnishings are pre-Victorian and the only coloured glass is the collection of medieval fragments in the traceries of a few windows.

The most impressive feature is the roof, retaining much of its original painted decoration and angel figures down the centre, also retaining much colour. This feature was familiar to me from so many photos in books, but in finally seeing it with my own eyes it lost none of its impact. It extends almost the full length of the building as there is little structural division between nave and chancel.

After absorbing the beauties above attention should go to the riot of medieval carving at ground level, where all the nave pews retain their 15th century bench-ends with figurative carvings, some with subjects from the Acts of Mercy and Seven Deadly Sins, not all in great condition but a remarkable survival nonetheless. In the chancel the stall fronts bear surprisingly well preserved rows of carved canopied apostles, not necessarily in situ as much of the woodwork looks reconstructed but the figures themselves appear to be rare medieval survivals.

This is a church to spend some time in and soak up its special atmosphere. Being on a bit of a mission that day I didn't have time to sit peacefully as one should, but it was the longest stop on my itinerary, and one of the most rewarding, I'd happily return.

This is one of the 'must see' churches of Suffolk and is always open and welcoming by day accordingly. For the third time that day I met a couple doing a similar excursion to me and we briefly chatted about what a joy it is to visit, I urge others to do likewise.

www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/Blythburgh.htm

Last but not least, the final church of the day and a good one to finish on, the last of my itinerary's 'big three' which I simply had to see on this trip (all the more so having finished another excursion here only two days earlier but arriving far too late to see inside, a mistake I was keen to avoid repeating!).

St Mary's at Dennington is one of those churches you read about and see details of in books long before planning a visit so the churchcrawler general;ly approaches here with a greater degree of anticipation. It is a grand building with an impressive length and width for a village church, its west tower fairly plain but given a more muscular appearance by its slightly over-emphasised corner buttresses (with a stair turret on the north side(. It appears to be a mainly late 14th century structure but its stylistic unity and generous size are not the main reason for its fame, that becsomes clearer once one steps inside via the handsome north porch.

Within the church feels somewhat sprawling, and fairly well lit owing to mostly plain-glazed windows which also means there isn't a lot of colour in here apart from the muted pale tones of the walls above and the rich dark browns of the woodwork below, and it is this Aladdin's cave of carved wooden furnishings which gives Dennington such renown. The first features to catch the eye upon entering are the carved pews, many Suffolk churches have bench ends like these with traceried panels on their fronts and fanciful animals serving as armrests and this is a particularly rich set. Sadly some of the animals have been damaged, but plenty can still be enjoyed. The most famous character here however is carved in relief on one of the benches on the south side of the nave, the figure of a mythical Sciapod sheltering under his enormous foot.

Towards the eastern end of the nave the carved pews give way to Post-Reformation box-pews (a few of which incorporate their medieval predecessors) and then two rich parclose screens that dominate the end of both side aisles, a rare survival in any form but here all the more significant for retaining their original lofts with rich cresting at full height. Originally these would have been joined across the nave by the rood screen, but only the lowest level of this now survives (and I almost missed it altogether being concealed within the box pews). The parclose chapel on the south side contains the magnificent mid 15th century alabaster tomb of Sir William Bardolph and his wife, their effigies resplendent with much of their original colouring.

The chancel beyond looks a little more sober by comparison but is enriched by a few good elements of its original 14th century glazing in the traceries and heads of certain windows. Above the altar hangs the rare wooden pyx, a spire-like tabernacle to hold the sacrament. Frustratingly I didn't get a good shot of this, a bit of a hazard in a church with so many good features to enjoy.

Dennington church is one that needs to be experienced, especially for those with a fondness for medieval and later woodwork. In normal times it is usually kept open and welcoming to visitors and really deserves more of them. For more see its entry on the Suffolk Churches site below:-

www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/Dennington.htm

Detail from the magnificent chantry chapel of Prince Arthur at Worcester, a masterpiece of late medieval architecture and sculpture and the last resting place of Henry VIII's elder brother.

Unusually, most of the medieval statuary of the chapel has survived both Reformation and Civil War though the main reredos figures have been defaced, though it seems the primary motive here was to remove the extremeties of the sculptures, allowing a flatter surface to board or plaster over! Nonetheless enough survives to give a good indication of their quality.

Worcester Cathedral is the commanding presence on the skyline of the city, perched on high ground overlooking the River Severn. It is one of England's most rewarding cathedrals, though denied first rank status owing to the heavy handed Victorian restorations it underwent, an unavoidable consequence of being built of soft red sandstone (a problem shared with Chester and Lichfield) and thus a 19th century feel pervades inside and out in it's mostly renewed external stonework and furnishings.

The cathedral impresses with it's scale, one or our longer churches, crowned by a magnificent central tower (originally surmounted by a lead spire, lost sometime after the Refomation; subtle alterations to the tower's design were made when it was refaced in the Victorian restoration) and with a secondary pair of transepts flanking the choir (as at Salisbury, Lincoln, Rochester & Canterbury). Of the former monastic buildings the cloister and Norman chapter house have survived (along with the refectory, now part of neighbouring King's School), making this a more complex and enjoyable building to explore.

The earliest parts are of the Norman period with the superb 12th century crypt under the choir. The west end of the nave is also Norman work, though very late and unusual in design, with transitional pointed arches. However the bulk of the building we see dates from the 13th and 14th centuries, the east end in Early English gothic style (where most of the windows were restored to stepped lancets by Sir George Gilbert Scott during the Victorian restoration, having been altered over the centuries), whilst the remainder of the nave and tower largely of the Decorated period (the cathedral originally also possessed a detached octagonal bell tower with a lead spire, which stood near the north east corner but was demolished in 1647).

Of the original furnishings little remains beyond the fine set of misericords in the choir stalls. The stained glass too is nearly entirely Victorian (only some meagre, much restored medieval fragments survive in traceries of the south aisle). Much of the Victorian glass is quite impressive, particularly the great east and west windows by Hardman's of Birmingham.

Worcester is however especially rich in tombs and monuments of all periods, with medieval effigies of bishops, knights and ladies, not all in good condition but worth seeking out. There are also several large tombs from the post-Reformation period (especially in the cluttered south aisle) and some fine Baroque work in the north transept.

The most significant of the monuments here are Royal; in the centre of the choir lies the fine 13th century effigy of King John, best remembered for signing the Magna Carta. Nearby is the superb chantry chapel of Prince Arthur, elder brother of Henry VIII, whose premature death aged 15 changed England forever (one of the most pivotal moments in our history, had he survived the Reformation may never have happened). The gorgeous late Perpendicular gothic chapel stands to the south of the High Altar and is remarkable for it's rich sculpted detail.

www.worcestercathedral.co.uk/

Formerly the abbey church of a Benedictine monastery dedicated to St Werburgh, since 1541 it has been the seat of the Bishop of Chester and now dedicated to Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The building dates from between 1093 and the early 1500s, although the site may have been used for Christian worship since Roman times.

All the major styles of English medieval architecture, from Norman to Perpendicular, are present in the building.

Chester Cathedral is a Grade I listed building.

The Cobweb Picture:

Our Lady and the Holy Child, Jesus. The picture comes from the Tirol and is painted on the net of the caterpillar Hyponomeuta Evonymella L. It is probably by the Tirolean artist Johann Burgman (d. 1825) and is a copy of a picture by Lucas Cranach I (1472-1553), now in the church of St Jakob, Innsbruck. The painting of 'cobweb pictures' was a flourishing art in the Tirol from about 1750 to 1920.

Gloucester Cathedral is one of England's finest churches, a masterpiece of medieval architecture consisting of a uniquely beautiful fusion of Norman Romanesque and Perpendicular Gothic from the mid 14th century onwards. Until the Reformation this was merely Gloucester's Abbey of St Peter, under Henry VIII it became one of six former monastic churches to be promoted to cathedral status, thus saving the great church from the ravages of the Dissolution.

The most obviously Norman part is the nave, immediately apparent on entering the building with it's round arches and thick columns (the exterior is the result of Gothic remodelling). Much of the remainder of the building is substantially the Norman structure also, but almost entirely modified in the later Middle Ages inside and out, the result of the great revenue brought to the abbey by pilgrims to the tomb of the murdered King Edward II in the choir. It was this transformation of the Norman church that is credited with launching the late gothic Perpendicular style in England.

The gothic choir is a unique and spectacular work, the walls so heavily panelled as to suggest a huge stone cage (disguising the Norman arches behind) crowned by a glorious net-like vault adorned with numerous bosses (those over the Altar with superb figures of Christ and angels) whilst the east wall is entirely glazing in delicate stone tracery, and still preserving most of it's original 14th century stained glass. The soaring central tower, also richly panelled with delicate pinnacles, is another testament to the abbey's increasing wealth at this time.

The latest medieval additions to the church are equally glorious, the Lady Chapel is entered through the enormous east window and is itself a largely glazed structure, though the original glass has been reduced to a few fragments in the east window, the remainder now contains beautiful Arts & Crafts stained glass by Christopher and Veronica Whall.

The early 16th century cloisters to the north of the nave are some of the most beautiful anywhere, being completely covered by exquisite fan vaulting, with a seperate lavatorium (washing room) attached to the north walk as a miniature version of the main passages.

There is much more of interest, from 14th century choir stalls with misericords to the comprehensive collection of tombs and monuments of various dates, including the elaborate tomb of Edward II and that of Robert Duke of Normandy, eldest son of William the Conqueror. The stained glass also represents all ages, from the 14 th century to the striking contemporary windows by Tom Denny.

Further areas of the cathedral can be accessed at certain times, such as the Norman crypt under the choir and the triforium gallery above.

My visit coincided with the major 'Crucible' exhibition of contemporary sculpture (September-October 2010), examples of which I will upload in due course.