This is the font in our nearby church. I'm afraid the church was very dark when I took the photos yesterday, but you'll get the idea.
The font is French, and was probably plundered after some skirmish or other. It comes from the Norman period, and is thought to have been carved in 1170. It is made of Caen Stone. One scene represents the life of St Nicholas; to whom the church is dedicated.
Amongst the other scenes, is this, above; The Last Supper, complete with bowls and food.
This one, above, I think is the Baptism of Christ.
And this final one features a boat with a 'fisherman' holding some large round egg-shaped object in the air. I have no idea what's going on here. (an Easter Egg hunt in St Malo perhaps?)
Originally the font was placed in the middle of the church where people would sit and lean back on it. It suffered some damage so it was moved to a more dedicated spot by the bell tower, where sitting on it is discouraged.
It's a beautiful font, and I believe is the oldest object in the church.
There was a day when going round old English churches and looking at such details was one of my enjoyments. It seems like a long and distant past life.
ReplyDeleteI love old churches. We're lucky in France to have several medieval churches nearby; most complete with early murals. It's sad that no-one seems to treat them as being special.
DeleteAmazing - they built them to last in those days.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how often it's used these days, I suspect not too often.
DeleteThat may be a rugby ball, not an Easter egg.
ReplyDeleteOr a Beach Ball.
DeleteThat is an amazing font. What I have found on my visits to hundreds of English churches is that the font is often the oldest stone item to be found. This is partly because when churches were repaired or reconstructed the font could be wheeled away and saved. I was christened in a Yorkshire church that was built in 1845 but the font had been rescued from a much older Norman church on the edge of the village that had fallen into disrepair and had consequently been knocked down.
ReplyDeleteThe most important and oldest relics are saved, and the rest goes to Salvage Yards.
DeleteThat's almost ancient enough to be a Greek relic. It's beautifully carved. The fonts here are big metal bowls which can be moved inside or out depending on the weather and the size of the church.
ReplyDeleteYou couldn't move this one around. It probably weighs about the same as a Mini.
DeleteCreated as a work of beauty, or to tell a story to a largely illiterate mass?
ReplyDeleteI imagine the latter, as with so much that one finds in ancient churches.
DeleteThe carving on the fonts is lovely. Each carving series tells a story in pictures. There is a lot to appreciate there.
ReplyDeleteI sat for quite a while yesterday looking at it. I'm afraid that some of the stories passed me by.
DeleteAt that date, probably carved by Norman masons in situ....
ReplyDeleteAnd stolen by the Brits.
DeleteIt is beautiful and I am glad it was moved out of the way to keep it safe.
ReplyDelete