Our last heritage day of the season was devoted to St. Giles, of whom we seem to have two. The Wikipedia one lived in the south of France, well before the Battle of Hastings, while the Catholic one, according to reference 1, lived in the middle Italy, well after. Both seem to be mixed up with red deer and arrows. Reference 1 also offers a gold medal for $1,422.99 USD - which you can either pay in full or in four interest-free installments of $355.74. St Giles is of particular interest to the physically disabled. He is also one of the fourteen holy helpers, the only one to die in his bed.
His favourite church is St-Gilles-du-Gard in the south of France, home to a very important Romanesque portal, described and illustrated at reference 2. Important partly as an assertion in sculpture of the true faith and, unusually, including a depiction of the crucifixion. In which 'on the left of the crucified Christ the female figure of Ecclesia, the Church and on right Synagoga, struck down by an angel, seemingly the defeat of heresy because of its refusal to accept the true significance of the scene before it. The figures of the Roman soldiers to one side of Ecclesia and the Virgin and Saint John to the other, Jews and Gentiles implying the universality of the Christian doctrine'.
Nearer home, search revealed St. Giles of Cripplegate, Houghton St. Giles of Norfolk and St. Giles of Chideock, this one being the one next door to a replica of a Medici chapel in Florence. The church of our Lady, Queen of Martyrs, and St. Ignatius. Nearer home still, we have St. Giles of Ashtead, once next to the manor house, now next to a large public school. In the snap above, just below the earthworks middle right. Reached through an impressive avenue, mainly of cedars. And on this occasion we were allowed in, unlike that noticed at reference 3.
A group of us was taken in hand by the rector who wanted to guide us around his church, quite small inside, but quite elaborate after refurbishment in the 19th century, possibly helped by the Surrey branch of the Howard family. Notwithstanding, an old church, built on land once owned by King Harold, later gifted by the Conqueror to the church.
We learned that in proper churches fonts had covers to stop the faithful dipping in the baptismal waters. Also that it was not proper to break fonts up. If surplus to requirement, the proper course of action was to bury them, this despite the fact that he had one standing in his own graveyard.
The present font.
Two shots of the elaborate cedar roof. I wondered whether it was made from one or more cedars taken from around the church, where there were plenty of there.
Another shot. There was an organ but no piano. And no sanctuary light that I could see, this despite what I thought was a rather High Church tone from the rector - but I might be quite wrong about that and I did not like to ask.
Out to inspect the yard where, in addition to the font already noticed, we came across this fine fungus, a little past its best.
Then down into the dell next door to take tea and scones in the next door Dell Centre, a smart new church hall with all the facilities, including a prayer garden. Scones rather good, tea not so good.
In the course of this, I learned that the former Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, started out as a lawyer, so a second career man like the present Archbishop of Canterbury. Although checking this morning, I find that he did not do much time in law. Also that he was from East Africa, rather than West Africa, as I had thought.
PS: the other C of E church in Ashtead, St. George's. That is to say in Lower Ashtead; the discrete cross nearest the railway station, upper left in the map above. Very up to date, with signage making clear that this is a Christian church, just in case you were new to the area and not sure. Convenient both for the Woodman (next door) and the Common (across the road). Snapped from Street View.
References
Reference 1: https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=121.
Reference 2: https://compostela.co.uk/great-portals/romanesque-facade-saint-gilles-du-gard/.
Reference 3: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2019/07/two-failures.html.
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