#: locale=en ## Action ### PDF PopupPDFBehaviour_9369A32F_8050_FD9F_41B6_6AA8A5B8D9E3.url = files/History%20of%20the%20Parish%20Church%20of%20Saint%20Agatha%20_en.pdf ## Hotspot ### Tooltip HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_C7467AFB_D591_B4CE_41C3_F7B9FCC5E34C.toolTip = About the church and services HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_CE013B66_E5C9_74C6_41DD_C60A47D58E13.toolTip = Biblical inscription on the far wall HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_CCBDDBAC_E54A_B449_41D1_10A4BC646709.toolTip = Click here to exit tour HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_C4A3378D_D590_BD4A_41E9_F87FBA391EC5.toolTip = Click on these symbols to advance through the tour HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_FE16BA45_E5B9_743A_41B3_D1659AFC0DB1.toolTip = Coat of arms details HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_FCA50F72_E5BB_6CDE_41E8_289FC5C70362.toolTip = Door details HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_CC2CA8B1_C807_2CA1_41DD_764401CC84B6.toolTip = Easby Cross HotspotPanoramaOverlayArea_FE17C042_E5C9_543E_41EA_40F565FAC5A9.toolTip = Font details 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Angels, Shepherds, and Kings
This image shows that the first to hear of the birth were the poor shepherds, and the kings heard about it later.
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Around the outer archway of the 14th-century south porch, there are three heraldic shields. These shields belong to the Askes, Conyers, and Scrope families.
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Biblical Inscription
Above a door at the west end of the church that leads into the porch is a biblical inscription that is thought to have dated from c.1700. The inscription is from Isaiah, Chapter 56, which reminds the reader to keep the Sabbath. The inscription says:
“For thus saith the Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my Sabbath and choose the things that please me… I will make them joyful in my house of prayer.”
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Coat of Arms of Queen Anne
Situated above the main door to St Agatha’s Church is the Coat of Arms of Queen Anne, which dates back to 1707. Since Henry VIII’s Reformation of 1534, all English monarchs have been supreme head of the Church of England.
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Easby Cross
Standing beyond the north row of choir stalls is a plaster cast replica of the Easby Cross. The Easby Cross is an Anglo-Saxon sandstone cross dating from 800 – 820. The original, which was discovered in pieces in the 1930s, is now located in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
The front of the cross shows the heads of the Apostles, each with a halo, and the Four Evangelists holding their gospels. Above that is a seated figure of the Risen Christ, showing his hands raised to display the wounds that were inflicted on him at the Crucifixion. The sides of the cross have Anglo-Saxon designs, and the back is carved with a vine scroll, along with animals and birds.
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East Chapel and Screens
In the South aisle of the church is the east chapel, enclosed by restored 15th-century screens. These screens are typical examples of woodwork found in country churches.
Within the chapel, there is another early English piscina, along with memorials dedicated to the 49 men of the Parish who died during World War I and World War II.
Brass Plate
Set into the wall within the chapel is a brass plate which commemorates Eleanor Bowes, who died in 1623. Eleanor was the widow of Robert Bowes, who was Queen Elizabeth I’s Ambassador to Scotland and the Treasurer of Berwick. The Bowes family lived within the Parish at Aske.
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Font
The font that is situated at the west end of the church dates from c.1100. As was custom for this period, the font was large so that a small child could be immersed inside. The decoration on the outside of the font is typical of early Romanesque art at this time, which includes a series of arches on twisted colonettes, and the top band is based on the honeysuckle flower.
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Medieval Glass
The east window above the altar table includes two pieces of 12th-century stained glass, which depict Saint John and a Premonstratensian Canon, along with a 15th-century section near the top of the window depicting an angel.
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Medieval Paintings
As you enter the chancel, the walls display rare medieval paintings dating from c.1250. These paintings disappeared for many centuries, likely to protect them during Henry VIII's Reformation and the Civil War. However, they were uncovered again during the Victorian restoration and then restored in 1994 by Perry Lithgow with the help of an English Heritage grant.
The paintings were intended to convey Christian messages from the Bible in images, as not everyone could read at that time.
Beginning on the north wall with the Creation and Fall of Man from the Old Testament, leading to Man’s Redemption by the Coming, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Christ from the New Testament on the south wall. These scenes are based on the medieval Bible and don’t entirely match with what is familiar to us today.
Start on the left, the surviving medieval scenes depict the following:
      •     The Fall and Expulsion
      •     The Sower
      •     Pruning
      •     Labourers Receive Divine Comfort
      •     Preparing the Earth for Planting
      •     Hawking
      •     The Annunciation
      •     The Nativity
      •     Angels, Shepherds, and Kings
      •     The Cross
      •     The Tomb
      •     Resurrection
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Nave Arcade
As you move into the nave of the church, you will see the 12th-century arcade. On the South side of the nave, the arcade has been painted with a stencilled chevron design, which is also found in richer churches.
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Piscina
The piscina, a shallow basin, is situated near the altar of the church or in a vestry and was used for washing the communion vessels.
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Sedilia
Within St Agatha’s, there are three sedilia, which are seats for priests that are set back into the main wall of the church itself and made of stone. They were used during Mass for the officiating priest and his assistants. Each of the sedilia has a medieval painting of a cleric.
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St Agatha’s Church is situated in Easby, a small rural hamlet on the outskirts of the Georgian town of Richmond. St Agatha’s is a beautiful building in a stunning location near the River Swale. For details of services please visit our web site at:
https://www.esbb.co.uk/
The site on which the church is located has been a Christian site since at least c.790. Back in 2011, after an excavation, it was verified that there has been a church or abbey building on this site since Saxon times, and it is known that parts of the present church building date from just after the Norman Conquest in 1066.
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Stoup
As you enter the church building, to the right of the door, there is another rare and original medieval feature. The stoup is a basin that is set into the wall of St Agatha’s Church. This would have held the holy water, which the faithful would have sprinkled themselves with. This is a reminder of the Roman Catholic origins of all medieval churches in England.
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Tapestry
Situated behind the altar table is a tapestry worked in the mid-20th century that shows the Annunciation with the hand of God in the top centre.
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The Cross
The mural depicts the removal of Jesus’ body from the cross and lowering to the ground. The scene shows the aftermath of extreme cruelty. On the right of the scene, a figure has a cask available, possibly holding ointment for the anointing of the body.
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The Fall and Expulsion
It starts with the creation of Eve from Adam’s spare rib, which is then followed by a human figure of God leading Adam and Eve into the Garden of Eden. It then moves on to the serpent coiling around the trunk of the Tree of Knowledge.
Adam and Eve are then banished from the Garden of Eden, and at the far end of the painting, Adam can be seen digging, while Eve is spinning under the watchful eye of an angel.
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The Nativity
The Nativity shows the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. The baby is in swaddling clothes, lying at the top of the arches with two animals above. Mary, who has just given birth, is on the floor looking composed, while Joseph looks weary as he leans on a stick, with his head resting in his hand. The Star of Bethlehem symbolises the coming of light to the dark world. The scene represents a birth in poverty.
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The Tomb
This is the scene of Jesus in the tomb, a lifeless body being anointed.
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The church door is also of the medieval period and consists of two planks of oak, which are layered both vertically and horizontally. They are held together with iron studs. This door is similar and opens to a staircase that leads to what was the priest’s room above the entrance to the church. (This is not open to the public and is now used for storage.)
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Tomb Recess
On the north wall of the church, there is a medieval tomb recess which houses a stone coffin. This could have been for the burial of an early church patron.
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