News by email Donate

Suggestions

Top Stories

Most Read

Popular Videos

st-john-s-winchester-main_article_image.png
Google Maps
UK News

Medieval church graffiti depicts Black Death fears

by Tola Mbakwe

According to the Sunday Telegraph, the 14th century art in Winchester shows figures intended to protect people from witches and the devil, scenes of people on horses accompanied by a figure on foot as well as names of bell ringers.

It's been reported the graffiti at St John's Church in Winchester has been newly revealed due to research by the Hampshire Churches Medieval Graffiti Survey.

The project has worked on dozens of churches and old buildings to unveil medieval graffiti.

Medieval graffiti specialist Matthew Champion told the newspaper people inscribed on churches because they knew that it would last.

Winchester was heavily plagued by the Black Death.

Champion said: "Sometimes the graffiti speaks of those who survived [the Black Death].

"People put on the walls what's important to them. There are times when they put inscriptions on the walls and those tend to be times of social stress.

"There's the idea that you might not be around. In the Black Death, people are wiped out. They wanted to leave a permanent mark. They knew that paper, life and normal society was insubstantial."

The curate at the church said the graffiti is an exciting development and is something new they can show to pilgrims who visit in the ancient church.

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.

A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference

In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.

Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.

For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.

Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.

Support Us
Continue the conversation on our Facebook page

Related Articles

Sign up to our newsletter to stay informed with news from a Christian perspective.

News by email

Connect

Donate

Donate