Tuesday, September 24, 2013

St. Mary Redcliffe, Bristol

This Medieval church was constructed between the 12th and 15th centuries. It is a prime example of Gothic architecture.


George Godwin designed a reredos that replaced a triptych by Hogarth that was eventually moved to a redundant church. The new reredos from 1867 is made of carved Caen stone and contains "a circle of mosaic work in the central gablet, by Salviati."


The central panel is Christ blessing the loaves and the fishes. The panel on the right hand represents the distribution of the loaves and the one on the left the distribution of the fishes.


The same location today only contains an altar; the reredos are missing. They were removed in 1956 in advance of a visit by Queen Elizabeth II and consequently were intended to be gifted in 1958 to the Church of the Incarnation in Morrisville, Pennsylvania along with the Baptismal font. The font is currently in the US church, however, the reredos is not.


The reredos in their original location at the high altar c. 1867-85.


The high altar today.
 
Sources:
Nicholls, James Fawckner. How to see Bristol (with map): A guide for the excursionist. London: J.W. Arrowsmith, 1885. 71.
The National Archives
Wikipedia
Love Architecture
Bristol UK Postcards
Wright, John. Some notable altars in the Church of England and the American Episcopal Church. New York: Macmillan, 1908. 192.
Cornell University Library's flickr Photostream
John Clarke's flickr Photostream
Church of the Incarnation. Parish Profile. pdf. July 2010. 4.
The Living Church. Vol 136, 1958. 29.

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