Risby, Church of St Giles
Although the village of Risby is not too far away, on the edge of Bury St Edmunds, I had not been here and visited the church. So, with some time on my hands I was able to explore this little village church.
It is a church with a round tower, but it is noticable that the main body of the building is quite long, as the following imge will show. It is an historic Norman and Late-Saxon church and has c.1200–1225 wall paintings, a 15th-century carved font, and a carved rood screen. So plenty to look at and it was a rather pleasant surprise.
The Lych Gate. Traditionally, a lych gate (from the Old English lic meaning corpse) served as a covered shelter at the edge of the consecrated churchyard where pallbearers could rest and wait with a coffin before the burial service.I didn`t know that!
A view of the other side of the church
My first view inside and looking toward the East end, showing the rood. And then a closer image with some other interesting things, including a statue of St Giles.
I had never come across St Giles before, but there are apparently 41 churches of St Giles in the UK, although only 1 in suffolk.
So I took to the internet to see what I could find out. According to the Cathedral itself - "According to legend, St Giles himself had been a seventh-century Greek hermit who lived in the forests near Nîmes, in the south of France, with a tame deer as his only companion. One day the King of the Visigoths, out hunting, shot at the deer, only to find it held protectively in the arms of Giles, who had been wounded in the hand by the arrow. The King was impressed by the holy man, returned many times to speak to him, and finally persuaded him to become the abbot of a monastery which he founded for him. Giles was subsequently canonised, becoming the patron saint of lepers, nursing mothers and the lame."
Composite figure of a male Saint (14th, 15th and 19th Century glass). The medieval glass at Risby had survived into the 17th Century, which we know because we have the fascinating detail of a receipt given in May 1644 by the iconoclast John Crow to the Risby churchwardens for the forty shillings fine they had paid for not destroying it, as required by the parliamentary ordinance. It seems to have been smashed soon after, but in the 19th Century the wife of the rector, Samuel Alderson, recovered fragments from the churchyard, and these were used in 1850 to create composite figures in the east and south chancel windows. Such as above.
Risby church has a surviving expanse of wall paintings along the north side of the narrow nave. A couple of features stand out, including Mary Magdalene kneeling to anoint the feet of Christ.
I couldn`t make out some of it, but this is the only remaining scene from a Passion Cycle in the church which was photographic. It is faded and damaged, but this is apparently one of the least often pictured post-Resurrection appearances of Christ - Jesus appearing to St. Mary Magdalene. There are faded and scrappy remains of other paintings at Risby, but most of them (some other Passion scenes and a possible Infancy Cycle) are simply beyond help now. Rather sad as they have faded in modern times apparently.
Medieval painting around one of the windows.
The font is late 15th Century, presumably part of a general refurnishing project of the time of which the rood was also an element. As with many fonts in the middle of the 16th Century, Risby's was plastered over to hide idolatrous imagery. When the plaster was removed in the 1890s, a beautiful Annunciation scene was revealed, as well as other interesting carvings. (Below)
Blessed Virgin Mary, who is shown kneeling at a prayer desk with a small pet dog behind her.
Two of the other images on the font
One of the bench ends dated to the 19th-century restoration. There are several other tall ones featuring rich carvings of fruit, flowers, and foliage, with each one uniquely designed.
This bench end was possible earlier of C15 origin.
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