St Benedicts Church in Northampton
by Gordon James
Title
St Benedicts Church in Northampton
Artist
Gordon James
Medium
Photograph - Photography Digital
Description
St. Benedict’s church in Northampton, England lies on the top of Hunsbury Hill and is a modern church consecrated by the Bishop of Peterborough on 10th July 1982.
The church is dedicated to St. Benedict, the famous 6th century monk whose Rule became the framework for the lives of countless monks and nuns down the ages. The key elements of his Rule are Prayer, Worship, Study, Work and Recreation.
The building is designed to make the Altar Table and Cross the focal points, and the seating is arranged to encourage everyone to feel included in the worship.
The font stands in the middle of the spacious aisle and dates back to the early 18th century. Some years ago it was taken from the Church at Normanton, which is now partially submerged by Rutland Water. When this happened, the Bishop of Peterborough said that it must be given to the next parish church to be built in the diocese. Hence its presence at St. Benedict’s.
There are two statues on either side of the entrance door. On the right is a statue of Mary and Jesus that speaks of the miracle of God coming down to earth in Jesus and of Jesus’ devotion to His Mother. On the left is a statue of St. Benedict showing him with a hand to his mouth and a raven at his feet. The hand symbolises the need for silence and reflection. The raven is there because it saved his life by carrying off a cup of poison prepared for him by some monks who were unhappy with his stern regime! In his hands, St. Benedict holds his Pastoral Staff to signify his role as Abbot and a copy of his famous Rule. On the wall beside the statue is a copy of the Prayer of St. Benedict.
On each side of the church, there are plaques telling the story of Jesus’ journey to the Cross, His crucifixion and Resurrection. These are known as the Stations of the Cross. The Choir Stalls are finely carved in English oak and came from St. Michael’s Church Upton, near Duston which is now redundant.
Above the Choir Stalls is the Organ, which was installed in the spring of 2009. It was built by Kenneth Tickell & Co Ltd (a Northampton firm) in 1988 for St. Faith of Aquitaine in Wandsworth, London. It is particularly fitting to have a modern style of organ, built for a modern church installed at St. Benedict’s.
The Altar is the focal point of the church. It contains stones from a number of places throughout Britain and Europe that are associated with St. Benedict.
These include stones from:
his birthplace in Nursia
his tomb at the Abbey at Monte Casino in Italy
Canterbury Cathedral
Peterborough Cathedral
Chester Cathedral
Alton Abbey
High above the altar on the right-hand side is the Tailed Imp carved by a student of the Horton Stone School. In the Middle Ages, it was customary to portray the Devil lurking somewhere in the church.
On the outside wall of the sanctuary on the right-hand side, there is a stained glass window that came from the St. Saviour’s Home in Barrack Road. This was a Girls Home run by what used to be called the Diocesan Moral Welfare Association. When the building was sold, Canon Tibbs, then Vicar of Holy Sepulchre, salvaged the window and later gave it to St. Benedict’s.
Unlike most modern churches, they are fortunate to have a peal of six bells. They were cast by John Taylor of Loughborough in 1987. After their dedication by the Bishop, the first peal was rung on 21st January 1988.
Davenport’s Brewery of Birmingham gave the aluminium crosses on the church tower. At the time that the church was built, the Brewery owned the Viking Public House opposite which was then called the Ironstone and was then demolished in 2023.
Uploaded
April 1st, 2023
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