St Michael's Church is a
Grade I listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
church in
Aynho, Northamptonshire.
History
The church has a late medieval tower. The rest of the church was rebuilt after the original
chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...
and
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 ...
were demolished in 1723.
Edward Wing carried out the rebuilding.
The church interior is
Georgian but with
Victorian elements in the
grisaille
Grisaille ( or ; , from ''gris'' 'grey') means in general any European painting that is painted in grey.
History
Giotto used grisaille in the lower registers of his frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua () and Robert Campin, Jan van Ey ...
patterned windows and many of the other furnishings.
The church is home to three other windows.
Thomas Willement
Thomas Willement (18 July 1786 – 10 March 1871) was an English stained glass artist and writer, called "the father of Victorian stained glass", active from 1811 to 1865.
Life
Willement was born at St Marylebone, London, the son of Thomas Wi ...
designed the eastern window which depicts three medallion scenes.
C.E. Kempe designed the windows on the southern side which feature
Archangel Michael
Michael, also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch is an archangel and the warrior of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second ...
and the
dragon
A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...
and
the Annunciation
The Annunciation (; ; also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord; ) is, according to the Gospel of Luke, the announcement made by the archangel Gabriel to Mary ...
.
The church has a couple of 18th-century tablets on the sanctuary walls.
References
{{coord, 51.99365, -1.25211, format=dms, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title
Churches in Northamptonshire
Church of England church buildings in Northamptonshire