St.Marys Church Bartlow

Rare round tower for Essex


There be dragons, St George has disappeared but his horses head can still be faintly seen

Another mythical beast stands below the saint and St.Mary trying to tug the balance used for weighing the souls of men.

5th Century Book of Beasts was the base line from which most of the mythical creatures found in medieval art is copied into our churches, the christian stories have been woven round these myths.

"The Bestiarius, De Bestiis, or Book of Beasts consists of descriptions and tales of animals, birds, fantastic creatures, and stones, real and imaginary, which are imbued with Christian symbolism or moral lessons. The rising of the phoenix from the pyre, for example, is related to Christ's Resurrection"

Taken from the British Library catalogue of books