![Chaldron st peter & st paul 112](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Chaldron_st_peter_%26_st_paul_112.JPG)
The Church of Saints Peter and Paul at
Chaldon
Chaldon is a village and civil parish in the Tandridge District of Surrey, England. The village is situated high on the North Downs, immediately west of Caterham and south of Charing Cross, the traditional centre of London.
History Etymology an ...
,
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
, is a
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
parish church in the
Diocese of Southwark
The Diocese of Southwark is one of the 42 dioceses of the Church of England, part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The diocese forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. It was created on 1 May 1905 from part of the ancient Dio ...
. The building was begun before 1086 and is
Grade I
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
listed.
It is notable for containing a large mural dating from around 1170, depicting images of the
Last Judgement
The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...
and
purgatory
Purgatory (, borrowed into English via Anglo-Norman and Old French) is, according to the belief of some Christian denominations (mostly Catholic), an intermediate state after physical death for expiatory purification. The process of purgatory ...
.
Building
The small church is divided into a nave and chancel. The nave has a two-bay arcade on the north and south sides which leads into aisles. The east end of the south aisle leads into a chapel dedicated to St Catherine, while the west end forms the base of the tower and is adjoined by the south porch. A vestry abuts the west end of the north aisle.
The east and west walls of the church likely date from the eleventh century, while the remainder of the church is predominantly 12th and 13th century. The major exceptions are St Catherine's chapel, which was partially rebuilt and given a new window in the early 14th century, and the tower built in 1843. There is a blocked arch at the end of the north aisle which suggests there was once also a chapel on this side of the chancel. The church windows have also been altered several times; those in the north aisle date from 1330, the wide chancel window from 1460, and the south aisle window is early 17th century. There is an
Easter Sepulchre
An Easter Sepulchre is a feature of British church interior architecture.
Description
The Easter Sepulchre is an arched recess generally in the north wall of the chancel, in which from Good Friday to Easter day were deposited the crucifix and s ...
in the chancel dating from the fourteenth century, and the pulpit dates from 1657.
Wall painting
The mural on the west wall of the nave was only discovered during restoration works in 1870-1. The background is of red
tempera
Tempera (), also known as egg tempera, is a permanent, fast-drying painting medium consisting of colored pigments mixed with a water-soluble binder medium, usually glutinous material such as egg yolk. Tempera also refers to the paintings done ...
, while the figures are a lighter red or pink. The mural has been described as "perhaps the most interesting ancient wall-painting in England" and as "one of the most important English wall paintings" of its date. A figure of a demon was discovered on the north aisle at the same time, but was destroyed.
The overall scheme combines several iconographic subjects, including the
Last Judgement
The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...
, the
Harrowing of Hell
In Christian theology, the Harrowing of Hell ( la, Descensus Christi ad Inferos, "the descent of Christ into Hell" or Hades) is an Old English and Middle English term referring to the period of time between the Crucifixion of Jesus and his re ...
, and the Ladder of Salvation. The painting is divided in two by a cloudy band. The lower half containins demons and depictions of sin, and the upper half the judgement and the salvation of souls. In the centre is a ladder, with
Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...
in a
nimbus
Nimbus, from the Latin for "dark cloud", is an outdated term for the type of cloud now classified as the nimbostratus cloud. Nimbus also may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Halo (religious iconography), also known as ''Nimbus'', a ring of ligh ...
at the top. The main figures of the lower half include two demons boiling sinners in a cauldron, two demons holding a saw on which balance sinners, and the
Tree of Knowledge with the
Serpent
Serpent or The Serpent may refer to:
* Snake, a carnivorous reptile of the suborder Serpentes
Mythology and religion
* Sea serpent, a monstrous ocean creature
* Serpent (symbolism), the snake in religious rites and mythological contexts
* Serp ...
. Representations of the
Seven deadly sins
The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, is a grouping and classification of vices within Christian teachings. Although they are not directly mentioned in the Bible, there are parallels with the seven things ...
surround these scenes. The upper half depicts the Harrowing of Hell to the right and the
Archangel Michael
Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...
weighing souls to the left.
Pevsner Pevsner or Pevzner is a Jewish surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Aihud Pevsner (1925–2018), American physicist
* Antoine Pevsner (1886–1962), Russian sculptor, brother of Naum Gabo
* David Pevsner, American actor, singer, da ...
describes the subject as 'rare' and describes it as a 'Purgatorial Ladder', while Malden links it to a style developed in the
Greek Orthodox Church
The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also call ...
, particularly a type called 'The Ladder of the Salvation of the Soul and the Road to Heaven'.
See also
*
List of places of worship in Tandridge District
References
{{Reflist
External links
History of Chaldon ChurchChurch of St Peter and St Paul, Church Lane, ChaldonChaldon Church mural*
ttp://www.lancs.ac.uk/users/yorkdoom/maureen.htm Page with a picture of part of the mural.High resolution picture of the whole mural.Two black and white pictures of the whole thing.
Chaldon
Chaldon is a village and civil parish in the Tandridge District of Surrey, England. The village is situated high on the North Downs, immediately west of Caterham and south of Charing Cross, the traditional centre of London.
History Etymology an ...
Chaldon
Chaldon is a village and civil parish in the Tandridge District of Surrey, England. The village is situated high on the North Downs, immediately west of Caterham and south of Charing Cross, the traditional centre of London.
History Etymology an ...
Chaldon
Chaldon is a village and civil parish in the Tandridge District of Surrey, England. The village is situated high on the North Downs, immediately west of Caterham and south of Charing Cross, the traditional centre of London.
History Etymology an ...
Judgment in Christianity