As you enter the door to the church, pause and look behind you. There are two superb wall hangings in beautiful colours and full of symbolism. These are the work of Elizabeth Brown who designed and hand made them in 10 months, busying herself 4 to 6 hours most days. The fabrics (some of which date from the 1920's) include silks, satins, cloth of gold, brocade, crash, linen, cotton and wool. She describes these works as her Magnus Opus and they are indeed a great work.
Whilst i have used the term "symbol", I think a more apposite word is "emblem" which implies a more precise denotation.. Forgive me if the photgraphs are taken from gound level but, at 87 and with restricted mobility, I was not ready to climb a ladder even if one were offered - and the idea is that you visit yourself and gaze in wonder.
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The left-hand hanging |
This depicts the hand of God at the top emerging from the darkness - which I interpret as the original Chaos. Below is a dove, emblem of purity, and beneath the bird is the Tree of Life. (I think of that as connected to the family tree of Jesus which once stood above the world-famous reclining statue of Jesse at the far end of the church). A river flows past 12 bulrushes representing the 12 apostles.
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The hanging on the right |
At the top is an angel blowing a trumpet. In the Great Chain of Being, angels came between God and humans, all of which are above animals, plants and minerals. Then are depicted a ram (a reference to the story of Abraham and Isaac) and an ox, emblem of strength and majesty. Beneath the ox are 3 vessels for wine, water and oil, followed in a downwards direction by a honeycomb conatining 33 bees, one for each year of the life of Jesus. At the bottom is a net of fish with the connotation of the secret symbol used by early Christians partly because it was easy to draw with two lines and also because it is an an acronym for the Greek for Jesus Christ, God's Son, Saviour: ICHTHYS. Many of the disciples were fishermen and one of the miracles is the feeding of the 5000 from 2 fishes and 5 loaves of bread.
I do hope I have induced you to visit the Church and spend time decoding the hangings. Since this blog encourages public transport, I can tell you that there are good bus connections to Abergavenny and a railway station a decent walk from the town. We always reward ourselves with a slice of home made CAKE after our viewing and you may indulge yourself at the excellent Tithe Barn cafe, just opposite. This has its own fascinations. some of which i have mentioned in another post. You can use the Search button to read about this and more about the church itself.
