Friday 18 April 2014

Stanton St Quintin, Wiltshire

Curiously, the church in Stanton St Quintin isn't St Quintin's, it's St Giles'.

Outside, at the west end of the church, is a Romanesque carving of a someone with a saint toasting their toes on a dragon. It's probably not St Giles because he's usually seen with a deer (a hind). Perhaps it's St Michael or St George.  Technically it's not a dragon, it's a wyvern, because the creature only has front legs. I think it's quite sweet with its curly tail. But it's probably signifying Evil and Badness. Which seems a bit mean.

We're not so far from the amazing carvings at Malmesbury, and you can see their influence in the complicated drapery of the saint's outfit. He's not sitting quite as convincingly though, I don't think. But he's got hilarious little toes whatever.




Inside is the rather unusual font with its massive lumpy knobbles. Very solid and chunky.



 Images © Rhiannon 2014

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