medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
I would suggest that the nave roof was originally lower, and that the upper,
smaller, window was originally an external one, illuminating the bell
chamber. The answer to the west window is easy, it let the light in! The
window opening into the nave is less easy to explain - it may pre-date the
tower, but even if it doesn't, it lets light into the nave, although the
illumination may originally have been the other way - into the ringing
chamber. I would be generally suspicious of claims about a sanctus bell.
John Briggs
Catherine Gunn wrote:
>
> John Briggs' interesting message reminded me of an interesting bell
> tower I saw yesterday at the church of St. Mary of the Assumption at
> Ufford in Suffolk. By a happy chance, a group of very good bell
> ringers were ringing while we were visiting this fascinating church
> (an amazing font cover and 15th century bench ends amongst other
> treasures). The bell ringers were clearly seen in their chamber
> through both a large window facing west out of the 14th century tower
> and through the large 13th century window opening east onto the nave
> of the church. Above this window, though, is a smaller one,
> presumably on a level with the bells themselves, or certainly much
> closer to them, which the guide book suggests gave the ringer in the
> tower a direct view of the altar in order to ring the sanctus bell.
> Would a bell have been rung from this level only at the Eucharist, or
> is chamber a later addition, allowing longer ropes and so easier
> ringing? (and if so what purpose, if any, would the large west
> facing window have had?) Maybe the sanctus window was only used when
> there was an earlier tower there, and became redundant with the
> building of the 14th century tower. I'm not expecting definitive
> answers to this - merely adding to the interesting speculations on
> the relationships between the evidence provided by buildings and
> knowledge of liturgy etc.
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