St Andrew's Church (Greensted)

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St Andrew's Church, also known as Greensted Church (2015)

The St Andrew's Church , also Greensted Church called in Greensted , 1 km west of Chipping Ongar , is an Anglican church in Essex . It is considered the oldest wooden church in the world and is under the patronage of the Apostle Andrew . It is protected as a Grade I architectural monument.

history

Based on archaeological finds that were secured during excavations in the early 1960s, the start of construction is dated between 998 and 1063. According to dendrochronological investigations, the wooden beams that form the supporting framework of the nave and the oldest building stock were felled as early as 845. According to tradition, the body of Edmunds the Martyr, killed in 869, was laid out here in 1013 when he was transferred to his final resting place in Bury St Edmunds . The church roof was re-covered under the reign of Henry VII . The chancel in brickwork, the stone foundations of which are dated to the Norman period, was built around 1500. The time when the church tower was built is uncertain, but it probably dates from the time of the Stuart . The church building underwent a thorough restoration between 1837 and 1848. In 1990 the structure of the church was stabilized.

architecture

The east-facing nave is a Saxon nave supported by oak beams with three gable dormers on the north and south sides. The chancel to the east, whose foundation walls date from Norman times, is made of brick and has a window and an arched entrance to the south and a three-part leaded glass window at the eastern end . In the west there is a church tower with three sound hatches .

On the north west wall there is a "leper opening" through which, according to tradition, lepers stuck their hand in the Middle Ages so that they could receive the blessing of the priest by sprinkling holy water .

Interior

Near the altar there is a piscina from Norman times. The wooden pulpit dates from 1698. The pews are in Victorian style . Carvings depict the story of Edmund the Martyr.

use

Every Sunday there is a service in the church.

Outdoor area

The church is surrounded by a cemetery, the oldest grave of which is believed to be the resting place of a 12th century crusader , possibly an archer . According to tradition, he arrived in Greensted seriously wounded and died in the church.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c d Ben Johnson: Greensted Church - The Oldest Wooden Church in the World. In: www.historic-uk.com. Accessed April 14, 2019 .
  2. ^ A b c d e Church of St Andrew, Ongar, Epping Forst, Essex. In: Images of England. June 9, 2004, accessed April 14, 2019 .
  3. ↑ a b c History on the Greensted Church website, accessed April 14, 2019.
  4. ↑ Services on the Greensted Church website, accessed April 14, 2019.

Coordinates: 51 ° 42 ′ 12.9 ″  N , 0 ° 13 ′ 37.6 ″  E