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St John the Baptist's Church, Barnack facts for kids

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St John the Baptist,
Barnack
Barnack church.JPG
St John the Baptist's Church, Barnack
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Location Barnack, Cambridgeshire
Country England
Denomination Church of England
Churchmanship Broad
Website https://parishnews-online.co.uk/st-john-the-baptist-church-barnack/
History
Dedication John the Baptist
Architecture
Functional status Active
Heritage designation Grade I
Designated 19 March 1962
Specifications
Spire height 114 feet (35 metres)
Administration
Parish Barnack with Ufford
Deanery Peterborough
Archdeaconry Oakham
Diocese Peterborough
Province Canterbury

The Church of St John the Baptist is a historic church located in the village of Barnack, England. Barnack is now part of the City of Peterborough in Cambridgeshire. It is about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south-east of Stamford. This church is a very important building, officially recognized as a Grade I listed building. This means it has special historical or architectural value.

The church is named after John the Baptist. It is famous for its very old Anglo-Saxon tower. An amazing spire was added to the tower around the year 1200. This spire might be one of the oldest in all of England!

Discovering Ancient Art: The Christ in Majesty Sculpture

Inside the church, in the north aisle, there is a large stone carving called a Romanesque sculpture. It shows Christ in Majesty, which means Jesus Christ sitting on a throne. This special sculpture was found hidden under the floor in 1931.

Experts have different ideas about how old this carving is. Some think it was made in the late 900s, while others believe it's from around 1200. The group that studies Romanesque sculptures in Britain and Ireland thinks it was carved in the late 1100s.

What Makes This Church Special?

A famous author named Simon Jenkins wrote a book called England's Thousand Best Churches. In his book, he gave St John the Baptist's Church four stars. He really liked three main things about it:

  • The ancient tower.
  • The font, which is a basin used for baptisms, decorated with a style called "stiff-leaf."
  • The amazing Christ in Majesty sculpture.

The Anglo-Saxon part of the tower is about 55 feet (17 meters) tall. On top of this, there is an octagon (an eight-sided shape) and the spire, which is another 59 feet (18 meters) high. This makes the total height of the tower and spire, up to the bottom of the weathervane, about 114 feet (35 meters).

Images for kids

  • St.John the Baptist's church, Barnack - geograph.org.uk - 204111

    St John from the southeast showing the Lady Chapel at left

  • A thousand years old - geograph.org.uk - 204116

    The square Anglo-Saxon tower; the top is later

  • Saxon doorway - geograph.org.uk - 204121

    Anglo-Saxon south doorway in the tower

  • Barnack Churchyard - geograph.org.uk - 204123

    Gravestones in the Churchyard

  • Barnack - geograph.org.uk - 204124

    Distant view from the north

  • Barnack - KMB - 16001000154286

    Porch and south aisle, photographed in 1926 by Berit Wallenberg

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