St Laurence (Bradford-on-Avon)

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View of the south side with the only remnants of the south portico

St Laurence , also called St Laurence's church and occasionally St Lawrence , is a small church in the village of Bradford-on-Avon in the English county of Wiltshire . The building is one of the very few in which the Anglo-Saxon structure from the time it was built has been preserved almost unchanged. She received her patronage from St. Lawrence of Rome .

Building history

The Chronicle Gesta regum anglorum of William of Malmesbury can be seen that in Bradford-on-Avon around the year 700 an ecclesiola was founded. As abbot, St. Called Aldhelm von Sherborne . Although the identity of this mention with St Laurence has not been proven, it was recognized that the construction time of the lower part was around 700, an increase was made around 1000. The building was forgotten, it served u. a. as a gardener's apartment, school for the poor and ossuary . Houses and stables were added around the construction. It was only recognized as Anglo-Saxon again in the 19th century and renovated, with the additions made in later centuries being removed. The building is now listed as a Grade I structure .

Building description

View into the high nave towards the choir with the two angel figures above in the choir arch

The small church today consists of three parts - originally there were four. The two main components are the single nave nave and the choir on the east side. There is also the still existing portico on the north side. The southern one is no longer complete, it is the missing component. The original height of the south portico can still be recognized by the traces of the former roofing. All components are only connected by unusually narrow portals, they appear almost isolated from one another.

The exterior of the facade is divided by a blind arch frieze with pilasters and suggested wall strips that have certain similarities with other Anglo-Saxon churches in England. Large and correspondingly more elaborate churches from the time before 1066 have not been preserved in England.

Inside the church, the first thing you notice is the unusual proportions. The nave and choir are very high, their height is greater than the length of the components. There was also almost no jewelry inside. Two angels are only added far above the choir arch. They may have been the remains of a larger crucifixion group . A similar one from the period can be found in Romsey Abbey .

Although very simple, the church is considered one of the most important of its kind in England and, albeit a meager, gem.

literature

  • Peter Sager: South England - from Kent to Cornwall , 5th edition, DuMont Buchverlag, Cologne 1977, ISBN 3770107446
  • Nikolaus Pevsner , Bridget Cherry: The Buildings of England: Wiltshire , Penguin Books, Middlesex, England 1975 ISBN 0140710264

Web links

Commons : St Laurence's Church, Bradford-on-Avon  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Peter Sager: South England - from Kent to Cornwall , p. 237.
  2. ↑ Nikolaus Pevsner , Bridget Cherry: The Buildings of England: Wiltshire , pp. 129/130.
  3. ↑ Peter Sager: South England - from Kent to Cornwall. P. 237.
  4. ↑ Peter Sager: South England - from Kent to Cornwall. P. 237.
  5. ^ Nikolaus Pevsner , Bridget Cherry: The Buildings of England: Wiltshire. P. 131.
  6. ↑ Peter Sager: South England - from Kent to Cornwall. P. 237.

Coordinates: 51 ° 20 ′ 49.3 "  N , 2 ° 15 ′ 13.7"  W.