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Hagioscope facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

A hagioscope (say "HAY-jee-oh-scope") or squint is a special opening found in old church walls. It's like a small tunnel or window built at eye-level. These openings let people see the main altar and the priest during important parts of the church service, even if they were in a different part of the building.

Sometimes, these openings were made in outside walls. This allowed people who couldn't come inside, like those with contagious diseases such as leprosy, to still see the service. These specific openings were sometimes called leper windows or lychnoscopes.

Why Churches Had Squints

Squints were not needed when everyone in a church could gather together in the main area, called the nave. However, churches sometimes had walls or screens that separated different groups of people. This could be for social reasons or to keep certain groups, like monks or nuns, separate from the main congregation.

Seeing the Altar from Afar

When people were separated by walls, squints became very useful. They allowed everyone to see the altar, even if they were in a separate room or section. In medieval times, these openings were often low windows in the chancel wall (the area around the altar). They sometimes had wooden shutters or iron bars for protection.

Special Uses for Squints

Squints were found on one or both sides of the chancel arch. In some churches, a series of openings were cut in the walls. This allowed a person standing far away, even in the church porch, to see the altar. These openings were sometimes used by an attendant. This person would ring the Sanctus bell at the right moment during the service.

Squints are not very common in Europe, but they did serve other purposes. For example, a monk in a vestry (a room for changing clothes) could follow the service and communicate with the bell-ringers. Nuns also used squints to watch services while staying in their isolated areas.

The church of St Helen's Bishopsgate in London is a good example. It was once two separate places of worship: a parish church and a chapel for Benedictine nuns. A squint allowed the nuns to observe the parish masses. Church records show that the nuns sometimes struggled with their isolation, even with the squint.

Where You Can Find Squints Today

Many hagioscopes or squints still exist in old churches around the world. They offer a glimpse into how people worshipped in the past.

Finland

There is only one hagioscope in Finland. It is located at Olavinlinna (St. Olaf's Castle) in Savonlinna. This squint helped people gather in the cold stone church tower during winter. It allowed them to continue worshipping despite the freezing temperatures.

France

In France, the hagioscope at Notre-Dame in Dives-sur-Mer, Normandy, is famous. It even has the words trou aux lépreux (leper window) carved on it. Other squints can be found at St. Laurent in Deauville, Normandy, and at the old church of St. Maurice in Freyming-Merlebach, Lorraine.

Germany

Many hagioscopes have been found or rediscovered in Germany. They are mostly in Lower Saxony, a region that had a smaller population in the Middle Ages. In cities, people with leprosy often lived in special housing areas with their own chapels.

For example, in Georgsmarienhütte, the hagioscope at St. Johann church belonged to a former Benedictine convent. Another one was found at St. Clemens in Bad Iburg, which was part of a monastery. Other German towns with squints include Bokelesch, Westoverledingen, Dornum, Midlum, Kirchwahlingen, and Hankensbüttel.

In Northrhine-Westphalia, you can see a hagioscope at St. Antonius-Kapelle in Gescher-Tungerloh-Capellen. This chapel is now used as an Autobahn chapel. Another squint is at St. Ulricus in Börninghausen. In Rhineland-Palatinate, the church of St. Eligius-Hospital in Neuerburg has one. There's also a hagioscope in Baden-Württemberg at St. Peter und Paul, the Old Cemetery Church of Nusplingen.

Ireland

Ireland also has several examples of leper's squints:

Netherlands

St. Vitus in Wetsens and Jistrum, both in Friesland, have hagioscopes. The oldest church in the Netherlands, located in Oosterbeek, also has one.

Sweden

In Sweden, Bro Church near Visby on Gotland has a unique cross-shaped hagioscope. Another church on Gotland with a squint is Atlingbo Church. Other examples are at the church of Vreta Abbey near Linköping, Granhult Kyrka in Uppvidinge, and Husaby Kyrka in Götene. The old wooden church in Granhult (Småland) has a hagioscope that can be closed.

United Kingdom

Many churches in England have hagioscopes. Here are a few examples:

At St Bees Priory, a squint was built into the wall of a 14th-century chapel. It was low enough for someone to kneel and look through it to see the high altar. The hagioscope at St Mary the Virgin, Lytchett Matravers, is unusually large. It provides a view to the communion table from the 16th-century north aisle. It's so big that it's sometimes used as a walkway to the chancel.

Images for kids

  • Squint - geograph.org.uk - 525863

    A squint in the wall of a chapel at St Nicholas's Church, Walcot, Lincolnshire. You can see the main altar through it.

  • Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Squint - geograph.org.uk - 476375

    The squint at the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Compton Pauncefoot, Somerset.

  • Агиоскоп

    A hagioscope at Olavinlinna in Eastern Finland.

  • Hagioscope freyming

    Hagioscope at the old church of Saint-Maurice, Freyming-Merlebach, Moselle, France.

  • BadIburgSchlossKlosterkircheHagioskop

    The hagioscope of St. Clemens, Bad Iburg, Germany.

  • Squint window st bees

    St Bees Priory, Cumbria: A squint window in a chapel wall. It's now filled in, but you can still see its shape.

  • Squint

    A partially blocked squint at Grendon church, Northamptonshire.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Hagioscopio para niños

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