Parish church St Lawrence

From Jerripedia

Jump to: navigation, search

St Lawrence Parish Church

A magnificent chestnut tree once stood in the churchyard, near where the lychgate was later built

St Lawrence Parish Church

St Lawrence's Church is one of the 12 ancient parish churches of Jersey; it is sited on St Lawrence Main Road in an impressive line of buildings consisting of the Church, Parish Hall, Arsenal and School

Name

Named after Saint Lawrence (225-258), martyred on a gridiron as a part of Emperor Valerian's persecution of christian priests and deacons. Legend has it that during his torture Lawrence cried out "This side’s done, turn me over and have a bite." wiki

The gridiron is the parish emblem.

Architecture

The church is known to have existed before 1198 and is stone vaulted with a tile roof. It has a Norman saddleback tower with a cross at the apex of each gable and Norman windows on each side at top floor level.

The tower narrows in line with the roof apex, indicating the point from which it was raised in the restoration of 1890-1892.

The interior consists of the nave, nave aisle, crossing, north and south transepts and the Hamptonne Chapel. This chapel is considered by many to be the finest example of ecclesiastical architecture in the island. It was built in 1542 by the Rector, Louis Hamptonne.