Isn’t this extraordinary? I walked around the outside of the building, lingering over carvings, and then I opened the door and I just wanted to be still and enjoy the beauty and the peace, and marvel.
The carvings in the church are… wondrous. The Glory Beam or Rood Screen is 16C and leaves me lost for words. The Virgin Mary and St John are on either side of Christ, and on the beam is the story of the Crucifixion.
The wooden ceiling is, I think, a pointed barrel vault ceiling with tie beams covered in carvings of vines, leaves, abstract designs, and gargoyles.
The Organ Loft is carved. The organ seems to have been installed in 1660 and altered several times since then, but I can’t find any information about the carvings on the organ loft – they look like religious figures, which probably means they are later than the vines, grapes, and hungry birds on the supporting columns.
There are wonderful 17C carvings on the stalls and the lectern is an eagle – not very clear in this photograph.
The Pulpit from 1759-60 is carved with the evangelists and saints, as well as continuing the floral decorations, and is topped with elaborate canopy on which a golden angel is mounted.
The Baptistry is has an octagonal carved base by Gabriel Carquain who was active in several of the churches in the region, and an even more elaborate canopy – not sure who made this. The font itself is granite and from 1651.
Next we need to look at the sculptures in the church, and the stained glass.
Candy Blackham
Wait til you see the sculptures and the altarpieces!
sunnydaysinseattle
Truly extraordinary!