St Mary de Haura Grave Stones
Ruined Nave and Graves
The photographs were taken today on my little trip to Shoreham at the church of St Mary de Haura which is more than 900 years old.
Be sure to click on the image to view it full screen!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
This ruin at the back of the churchyard is all that's left of the back wall of St Mary's Norman nave.
This part of the church was used by the town's inhabitants at services, and was their financial responsibility.
In the late medieval period, there weren't enough townsfolk to financially maintain their part of the church so it ended up falling into disrepair.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A Master Mariner's Grave. Note the anchor on the end.
This post is for @melinda010100's Cemetery Photos challenge.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
First photo is excellent. Could be in the guide book for touring 900 year old parish churches in England :) Good set of pictures and you are always finding new contests on Steemit too.
When someone says
My immediate thought is "what's wrong with the other two". I'm such an eeyore @steven-parick but thank you anyway!
I'd like to go back another time when I'm feeling better and have a look around the church too. But the graveyard is a really pretty and peaceful place, right in the middle of town. there's quite a lot to explore around there.
900 years! Thanks so much for sharing this! Resteem and tip!
You're welcome @melinda010100.
Thank you for the resteem and the tip. 😊
So, basically, the townsfolk didn't have a place to congregate after the nave started to fall apart? Also, I guess the rest of the church was maintained by the church organization itself?
I think it's amazing to see anything that's 900 years old, in good repair or not. It's fascinating to think that something can withstand that much time, and longer in many cases.
I would imagine that people from any age would wonder if their civilization would be remembered long after those comprising it had turned to dust. The structures and other things they would leave behind would be a testament to their existence. Unfortunately, so much tends to get lost along the way.
I'll try and go back and get some photographs of the Church itself @glenalbhrethsen. I took a few but I'd like a more complete picture.
The rest chancel was maintained by the church organisation itself. i'm not sure if that is the rest of the Church or not. it was where the rich people went anyway.
It was a lovely place to stumble upon. Right in the middle of town, albeit a relatively small one, and so peaceful in amidst all the other hustle and bustle. 😊
I understand it was fairly common for churches to be built in the center of a town or city so that all church goers were more or less equidistant from it. It also gave the church more prominence, and it became the heart of the community.
I don't think that happens so often anymore. Of course, there's quite a few more types of churches available than just the Catholic, or the Church of England, or even the protestant ones that came along later. So, you couldn't necessarily have every church at that point inhabit the center of town, and then, of course, you had people going to different congregations, thus splitting up the unity that may have existed previously.
I have stood on church grounds in the middle of very busy areas of town and have been amazed at the peace and quiet it provides. Very amazing feeling. :)
Great post! I’m a sucker of Medieval history all these shots are great and their descriptions. I found the last one very fascinating. The Steemit community is very fortunate to count with this contribution.
thank you @coquiunlimited. Glad you like the photographs. I don't know much about Medieval history myself so had to research it a bit. I love exploring old things like this church yard and church though. 😊
Hi @gillianpearce! You have received 0.1 SBD tip from @melinda010100!
Check out @melinda010100 blog here and follow if you like the content :)
@tipU voting service | For investors.