TQ0213 : Amberley - St Michael - Wall paintings
taken 11 years ago, near to Amberley, West Sussex, England
The scenes which are all now rather faded, have been identified as being scenes from the Passion of Christ. They include the Scourging, the Carrying of the Cross and the Crucifixion. The four heads in haloes have been identified as "the three Marys"* with Joseph of Arimathea.
*Note: The three Marys can actually refer to several different selections of Marys from six or seven mentioned in the Bible. The two most famous are Mary the mother of Jesus (the Blessed Virgin Mary) and Mary Magdalen.
However considering the subject matter of the rest of the wall painting, these three are probably either "the three Marys at the Crucifixion" or
"the three Marys at the tomb".
"The three Marys at the Crucifixion" were Mary (the BVM), Mary Magdalen and Mary of Cleopas; while "the three Marys at the tomb" comprise Mary Magdalen, Mary of Jacob and Mary Salome.
So the only thing we can be pretty confident of, is that one of them is Mary Magdalen - and that the male one is Joseph of Arimathea, the man who donated his own tomb for Jesus's burial, and who by legend visited Glastonbury and planted the "Holy Thorn" there.
![Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]](https://s1.geograph.org.uk/img/somerights20.gif){kind=small}
The church of St Michael and All Angels in Amberley, West Sussex is thought to have been started in the early C12th, with the nave and chancel arch dating to about 1150.
The chancel and tower are about 100 years younger (mid C13th). The site was in ecclesiastical ownership as far back as the C7th however, so there was probably a much earlier Saxon church on this site, most probably originally constructed of wood. Nothing of this earlier putative church has been discovered to date however.
The current church has some fine Norman features such as the zigzag decoration on the curve of the chancel arch and some round-topped windows in the nave. The triple lancet East Window in the chancel is typical of the Early English phase of Gothic architecture which followed the Romanesque style of the Normans. The three lancets of this window are perhaps quite unusually widely spaced.
The roof of the nave is somewhat unusual, sloping from an apex above the nave down in a single sweep to encompass the southern aisle.
Within the church is a square, late C12th font, although this was substantially repaired in the Victorian era, and some interesting, if somewhat faded, wall paintings from the C14th.
The church is Grade I listed by English Heritage, though at present its listing Linkis very scanty. Much more information on this church can be found here however Link
Amberley is a village in the Horsham District of West Sussex.
Situated at the foot of the South Downs. The village is noted for its many thatched cottages.One of the attractions in Amberley is Amberley Working Museum.
Amberley has its own railway station on the Arun Valley Line, with regular services to Bognor Regis, Portsmouth and London.
To the north of the village is the tidal plain of the River Arun, known as Amberley Wild Brooks. This wetland area is a Site of Special Scientific Interest which floods in winter and is known for its wildfowl. Amberley also has a castle, which is now a Hotel, next to which is a Norman Church, the Parish Church of St Michael.
Wikipedia: Link
- Grid Square
- TQ0213, 324 images (more nearby 🔍)
- Photographer
- Rob Farrow (more nearby)
- Date Taken
- Saturday, 1 August, 2015 (more nearby)
- Submitted
- Tuesday, 4 August, 2015
- Subject Location
-
OSGB36:
TQ 0278 1319
[10m precision]
WGS84: 50:54.5424N 0:32.3701W - Camera Location
-
OSGB36:
TQ 0278 1319
- View Direction
- EAST (about 90 degrees)
