Niche & entrance to the site of the shrine of St Hieritha (Urith) on the N side of the chancel in her church at Chittlehampton, Devon, England, UK.
Site of the shrine of St Hieritha (Urith) on the north side of the chancel in her church at Chittlehampton, Devon, England, UK. The high arched entrance to a narrow chamber floored with stone. An ancient tomb slab inscribed "Orate pro anima Joan Cobley" may have been placed over the relics of local saint & martyr Urith. Her revered image used to stand in the richly canopied niche at the SW corner of the shrine; it was removed in 1539-40. In 1764 the empty niche was painted blue & verses & an inscription added: "In memory of St Hieritha, Foundress of this Church". 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. Another suggestion is that her remains lie under the passage to the vestry. The church was rebuilt in Perpendicular Gothic style from around 1470 (late C15th-early C16th).
Size: 3764px × 4961px
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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