The biblical scenes depicted by Michelangelo on the
Sistine ceiling are all from the Old Testament.
In the case of the wall paintings that were a feature of all English
medieval churches very few scenes from the Old Testament seem to occur. None of the famous stories, such as the
parting of the Red Sea to allow the fleeing Israelites to escape from Egypt
have been found. Even painting of events
like Moses receiving the Commandments and David slaying the Philistine Goliath
that feature in the medieval manuscripts known as the Books of Hours used in
Monasteries very rarely appear on the walls of churches in England or elsewhere
in Northern Europe. Perhaps the events of
the Old Testament were not regarded as core messages for most Christians. They may not have been seen as relevant to
the sacred rituals that they were celebrating.
It is only since the Vatican Council that readings
from the Old Testament formed part of the normal Sunday Mass. The readings at Mass until then were almost
exclusively from the Epistles and Gospels – and that would have been true also
of the Medieval Sunday Mass. The Old
Testament for most of the congregation tended to be a closed book – in text and
in painting. A few stories, such as the
Creation and the temptation and fall and expulsion from Paradise of Adam and
Eve were seen as relevant, but most were not.
These are the scenes that visitors to our church to view the ceiling are
most drawn to. Representations of Old
Testament scenes appeared more frequently in glass windows or screens in
churches than they did on the walls.
Images drawn from the gospels filled every
church. The earliest paintings portrayed
Christ either as supreme on the Cross or as Ruler of the Universe, adored by
angels and apostles as Christ in Majesty.
Later images concentrated more on his suffering and death and also on
his infancy. In a particular church
there may be a cycle of Holy Infancy scenes – sometimes four or more. Similarly there may be cycles of scenes from
the Passion – sometimes ten or even fifteen.
Christ is always recognisable by his halo and the Roman type robes he
wears. His torturers are portrayed as
wicked and ugly. Soldiers wear armour
that belongs to the period of the painting.
Most cycles of the Passion begin on Palm
Sunday. The next scenes are normally the
Washing of the Feet and The Last Supper, followed by the Agony in the
Garden. In St Mary’s Church in West
Chiltington there is a reasonably clear painting of The Betrayal showing Judas
kissing Jesus and so identifying him to the High Priest’s soldiers. In the Holy Sepulchre Chapel in Winchester
Cathedral there is a very clear painting dating from 1170-80 of the Burial of
Jesus.
Evidence that candles were lit and prayers said
before wall paintings is provided by the discovery of scorch marks during the
cleaning of a painting of St Christopher at St John’s Church in
Chichester. Repairs in various other
churches lead to the same conclusion
Just as St Francis epitomised the sufferings of
Christ by receiving the Stigmata, so wall paintings showing images of Christ’s
torn body urged worshippers to think about their saviour nailed to a cross and
the pain he suffered for their sake.
There were many thousands of people who could never have imagined how
Christ was crucified if they did not learn it by looking at paintings and
sculptures and this they could do in their local church.
A fourteenth century religious writer, Richard
Rolle, (1300-1349 AD) called ‘the Hermit of Hampole’ urged people to think and
see – to meditate on these paintings of the Passion: ‘Think then how they took
him from prison and bound his hands behind him so that the blood burst out of
his nails. See how they stripped him and
tied him to a pillar. See then how they
scourged him from head to foot. See then
how they crowned him with thorns so that the blood burst from his skin. See then what sorrow came into his heart when
he saw his mother.’
Our ancestors learned not only from wall
paintings. From the moment they could
talk and hear, religious ideas and imagery were part of their lives. Churches were the biggest buildings in every
parish. Every day most parish church
bells told the time. Every week began
and ended with the Sabbath. Every year
was defined by the great festivals of Easter, Corpus Christi, Christmas. Church processions and religious dramas made
lasting impressions strongly reinforced by the messages carried by their church
walls.
I
am indebted ‘Medieval Wall Paintings’ by Roger Rosewell
