The Wirksworth Stone late C7th/800 Anglo-Saxon coffin lid mounted on the N wall of the nave of St Mary's Church, Wirksworth, Derbyshire, England, UK.
The Wirksworth Stone Anglo-Saxon coffin lid in St Mary's Church, Derbyshire, England, UK. Mounted on the N wall of the nave, it was found face down over a stone-built grave when paving slabs before the altar rails were removed during restoration work in 1820-1. It is the coped lid of a sarcophagus which origionally stood out in the church to be viewed. Its LH side & top R corner have been broken off. Considered to date from around AD800 (or late C7th), the richly carved sculptured stone features 8 scenes from the life of Christ in a cycle related to Byzantine/eastern models. Top tier L-R: Washing the Disciples’ feet; Crucifixion with Lamb of God (Agnus Dei, or Lamb of the Apocalypse or Agnus Victor) on a Greek cross; Burial of the Virgin; Presentation in the Temple (or an extension of the funeral scene with Christ handing the Virgin' soul to an angel. Lower tier L-R: Descent into Hell; Ascension; the Annunciation; Mission (St Peter receiving a scroll from Virgin & Child, or the Infant Christ being presented in the Temple). The first church here was founded in 653 by Betti, a Northumbrian missionary monk who came south to Wirksworth via Repton; in A-S times Wirksworth was dependant on the double monastery at Repton, a royal foundation 15 miles to the S. It has been suggested that the Wirksworth Stone was the cover of Betti's sarcophagus.
Size: 3780px × 2701px
Location: St Mary's Church, Wirksworth, Matlock, Derbyshire, England, UK
Photo credit: © Mick Sharp / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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