Figure of St Hieritha (St Urith), on the stone pulpit of c 1500 in her church at Chittlehampton, Devon, England, UK, holding the palm of martyrdom.
Figure of St Hieritha (Urith) on the stone pulpit of c 1500 in her church at Chittlehampton, Devon, England, UK. Urith holds the palm of martyrdom & the foundation stone of the church or possibly a book of her Life, works & miracles. She stands on a plinth in an ogee canopied narrow panel bordered by vine fruits & leaves. There are several versions of her legend, but essentially she was a Christian maiden beheaded during a drought around AD 700 by pagan haymakers with their scythes at the instigation of her stepmother. A stream sprang from the ground where her head fell & the dry earth blossomed with flowers, especially scarlet pimpernals. Some say she was Anglo-Saxon, others a Briton, others claim her as an incarnation of a Celtic water goddess. Pilgrims visited her healing well, especially for eye cures, and her shrine in the church where she may still be buried.
Size: 3718px × 4939px
Location: St Hieritha's Church, Chittlehampton, South Molton, Devon, England, UK
Photo credit: © Mick Sharp / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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