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Wall paintings in Pickering church
The church contains one of the most complete sets of mediaeval wall paintings in Britain.
They were probably first commissioned around 1450, and yet only a hundred years later had been covered up as part of the Protestant Reformation.
The paintings were accidentally rediscovered in 1852 when plaster was removed from the walls. Incredibly, they were subsequently covered again by whitewash!
In 1876 it was decided to remove the whitewash and restore the wall paintings, and further restoration was undertaken over the following years.
In the Middle Ages it was common for the interior of churches to be painted. This was mainly to illustrate biblical stories to illiterate congregations.
The paintings inPickering church include St George, St Christopher, St John the Baptist, the Coronation of the Virgin, St Edmund, St Thomas, St Catherine, the seven Acts of Mercy, and the Crucifixion, descent into hell and Resurrection.
They were probably first commissioned around 1450, and yet only a hundred years later had been covered up as part of the Protestant Reformation.
The paintings were accidentally rediscovered in 1852 when plaster was removed from the walls. Incredibly, they were subsequently covered again by whitewash!
In 1876 it was decided to remove the whitewash and restore the wall paintings, and further restoration was undertaken over the following years.
In the Middle Ages it was common for the interior of churches to be painted. This was mainly to illustrate biblical stories to illiterate congregations.
The paintings inPickering church include St George, St Christopher, St John the Baptist, the Coronation of the Virgin, St Edmund, St Thomas, St Catherine, the seven Acts of Mercy, and the Crucifixion, descent into hell and Resurrection.
Created: Mon, 3 Apr 2017, Updated: Mon, 3 Apr 2017
9 images use this description: (all images taken in 2017)
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- Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul, Pickering
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