The Church of All Hallows is an

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

in the village of South Cerney,

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

. The church is of

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

origins, with

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

alterations and a major restoration in the 19th century. A Grade I listed building, it remains an active parish church.

History

The origin of the church is Norman, when the

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

was in the possession of Gloucester Abbey. It was repeatedly altered in the medieval period. The spire on the tower was destroyed by lightning in 1857 and never reconstructed. The church was thoroughly restored by

James Piers St Aubyn James Piers St Aubyn (6 April 1815 – 8 May 1895), often referred to as J P St Aubyn, was an English architect of the Victorian era, known for his church architecture and confident restorations. Early life St Aubyn was born at Powick Vicarag ...

in 1862. All Hallows is an active parish church serving the parishes of South Cerney and Cerney Wick. An archaeological investigation in the churchyard in 1999 discovered a number of medieval burial pits, which appeared to have been reconstructed in the 19th century rebuilding.

Architecture and Description

The church consists of a central tower, without its original spire, a

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

and South

aisle An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, certain types of buildings, such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parl ...

, and a

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

of 14th century origin. The porch is a 19th-century addition. The "very elaborate" doorway is Norman, although moved to its present position by St Aubyn. Pevsner records the similarities to that in the church at

Mesland Mesland () is a commune in the Loir-et-Cher department of central France. Population See also *Communes of the Loir-et-Cher department The following is a list of the 267 communes of the Loir-et-Cher department of France. The communes coo ...

near Blois in France. The interior contains a number of important wall monuments in

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...

, dating from the 18th and 19th centuries. The church is a Grade I listed building.

The South Cerney Christ

In 1912, two fragments, a head and a foot, from a large figure of Christ were discovered in a wall cavity in the nave. The Christ, of medieval date, is likely to have been concealed during the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

but its history is largely unknown. The two pieces were sold by the church and purchased by the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

, with the aid of a grant from the

Art Fund Art Fund (formerly the National Art Collections Fund) is an independent membership-based British charity, which raises funds to aid the acquisition of artworks for the nation. It gives grants and acts as a channel for many gifts and bequests, as ...

. Replicas are displayed in the church.

References

Sources

*{{Cite book , last1 = Verey , first1 = David , last2 = Brooks , first2 = Alan , title = Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds , series = The Buildings of England , url = https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/863472443 , publisher =

Yale University Press Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day, and became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and operationally autonomous. , Yale Universi ...

, location = New Haven, US and London , year = 2000 , isbn =9780300097337 , oclc = 863472443 South Cerney Diocese of Gloucester South Cerney