Sunday A/S

A photo for Sunday, this is at St.Peters, Bradwell on Sea, Essex, from the 7th Century church still standing  on this bleak marshy area of this part of the East coast.

Quoting myself and for a moment joining the North to the South.....

"One more thing to note here is the modern altar, a square rectangular slab of stone on three pillars, and here we come to the Celtic heart of this chapel, for it is these three modern stones that represent Saint Cedd's other communities..

The left stone is a gift from Holy Island, Lindisfarne, it was here that Saint Cedd was trained by Saint Aidan.

The centre stone is a gift from the Island of Iona, the Celtic mission in Britain started here; it was here that St.Colombus founded a monastery where missionary monks were trained.

The right stone is a gift from Lastingham, Cedd left Bradwell to build a monastery at Lastingham in the Yorkshire Moors, and it was here he died of the plague in AD.664"

This morning I have spent  quite a bit of time, researching the Caedmon's Cross at Whitby, there is the original old cross and then there is a 19th reconstruction, which is very beautiful but does it copy the old cross?

The old Caedmon cross

19th Century Caedmon cross

Side view

This much better photo by Stockart which is free of the Caedmon Cross, shows that intricate carving can still be achieved in the 19th C

There is for me a moment of happiness when thinking about the design of the intricate pagan jewellery, which is in the midst of transformation from one god to another, it is also echoed in the stonework of the time.  A marriage of thought, the essence for the moment caught up in the 19th century stonework above, as the vines wind their way through the stone..... craft and art laboriously moulded by the chipping of the stonemason.