Winged lion emblem of St Mark - one of four symbols of the Evangelists surrounding Europe's earliest example of a Coronation of the Virgin artwork, sculpted in Cotswold stone at Quenington, Gloucestershire, England, UK.
Quenington, Gloucestershire, England, UK: this winged lion symbol of Saint Mark is amongst the emblems of the Four Evangelists that surround Europe's earliest example of a Coronation of the Virgin artwork still in its original location, the tympanum over the south doorway of the Cotswolds Parish Church of St Swithin. Above and to the left of the winged lion, Christ is depicted crowning his mother, the Virgin Mary, as the Queen of Heaven, as they sit beside each other on a wide throne. The church, founded around 1100 AD, was originally dedicated to St Mary, but was rededicated to St Swithin after the Reformation. The Coronation scene is part of a richly carved Norman doorway, rated amongst the finest in Britain, which also features zigzag dogtooth or chevron moulding and sculpted beakheads. The Romanesque north doorway opposite features a carving of the Harrowing of Hell. The quality of the sculpture has earned the church Grade I Listed Building status. Quenington, north of Fairford in the Cotswolds, appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Qvenintone, from the Old English 'Cwenenatun', meaning 'the women's town or settlement' (the word 'queen' has the same derivation). The church, founded by the wealthy Lacy or de Laci family, passed in 1138 to St Peter's Abbey in Gloucester and then in 1193 to the Knights Hospitaller military order. A 13th century Knights Hospitaller gatehouse survives at Quenington.
Size: 4256px × 2832px
Location: Quenington, Gloucestershire, England, UK
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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