St Michael's Church, Michaelchurch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Michael's Church, Michaelchurch |
|
|---|---|
St Michael's Church, Michaelchurch, from the south-west
|
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| OS grid reference | SO 521 255 |
| Location | Michaelchurch, Herefordshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | Churches Conservation Trust |
| History | |
| Founded | 1056 (?) |
| Founder(s) | Herwald, Bishop of Llandaff (?) |
| Dedication | Saint Michael |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 30 April 1986 |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Norman |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Sandstone, stone slate roofs |
St Michael's Church is a historic church in Tretire with Michaelchurch, Herefordshire, England. It is no longer used for regular church services. This means it is a "redundant" church. It is looked after by the Churches Conservation Trust, a group that saves old churches.
The church is in a quiet field about 8 kilometers (5 miles) west of Ross-on-Wye. It is special because it has old wall paintings from the 1200s. It also has a Roman altar that was put back together.
Contents
History of St Michael's Church
People believe that Bishop Herwald of Llandaff started the church in the year 1056. Over the years, parts of the church were changed in the 1200s and 1600s. It was also repaired in the late 1800s or early 1900s.
In 1830, a church leader named Rev John Webb found a strange stone. It was outside a small house and was being used to grind things, like a big bowl and grinder. He soon realized it was a Roman altar stone! He then found more pieces of the altar inside the church.
The altar pieces were moved to a nearby village church in Tretire. But in 1908, they were brought back to St Michael's Church. The church stopped being used for regular services on July 28, 1972. It was then given to the Churches Conservation Trust on November 13, 1973.
What Does St Michael's Church Look Like?
The church is built from sandstone and has roofs made of stone tiles. It has a simple design. There is a main hall called the nave and a smaller area for the altar called the chancel. There is also a small porch at the front.
Outside the Church
At the west end of the church, there is a small tower for bells. It has a pointy roof. On the north side of the church, there is a doorway that was blocked up. Now, a window is in its place.
On the south side, there is a tall, narrow window and another window with two parts. The chancel has small, narrow windows on its sides. It also has two taller, narrow windows at the east end. The porch has stone benches inside.
Inside the Church
The church ceiling is smooth and covered in plaster. The walls of the chancel have wooden panels from the 1600s.
On other walls, you can see paintings from the 1200s. These paintings are mostly in red and white. They show patterns like shapes and flowers. Some parts of these paintings were later covered by writing from the 1500s and 1600s. This writing includes the Ten Commandments.
Between the nave and the chancel, there is a wooden screen. It has a wide opening in the middle and three sections on each side. The bottom parts of these sections are covered with panels. The top parts have open arches.
The seats for the choir are from the 1800s. They have carved angels on the ends. The stone baptismal font is from the 1100s. It is a round bowl with a cross and swirly designs carved into it. It sits on a round base.
Near the font, there is an old stone lid from a coffin. It is from the 1300s and has a cross carved into a circle. The lectern, where readings are given, is probably from the 1800s.
The Roman altar, which was put back together, stands in the blocked-up doorway on the north side. It has an old inscription that is hard to read. It roughly says, "To the god of the three ways (crossroads), Beccicus dedicates this altar."
Outside the Church Grounds
The churchyard is the area around the church. It has the graves of two soldiers. One was a soldier from World War I, and the other was a Royal Navy officer from World War II.
See also
