From the transepts open out the entire ‘east end’ of the Church: four side chapels and the great chancel. The first of these chapels was originally dedicated to St Joseph, the foster father of our lord, a carpenter by profession. The stained glass window shows scenes of St Joseph’s life (from l to r): his marriage to our Lady, his Presentation of Jesus in the Temple and Simeon’s prophecy, his training of his foster son in the carpenter’s trade (note the cross formed by the two pieces of wood as a sign of the crucifixion), and (in the round panel at the top) his death with Mary and Jesus beside his bed. It is for this last reason that St Joseph is invoked as the patron saint of a happy death.
Since 1975 the chapel has been the place of the baptismal font (the baptistery), in which we are baptised into Christ’s body, the Church, with all our sins forgiven. The font itself is made of Caen stone, a light limestone which is easily carved. It repays close attention. It is octagonal in shape, and each side has a carved low-relief panel, as is the case with so many medieval English fonts which can still be seen in ancient parishes churches around the land. The first panel, facing into the transept, represents the Lamb of God (so named by John the Baptist at Christ’s baptism in the River Jordan). Four other panels include the symbols of the four evangelists, each holding a scroll with a text from their gospel (Matthew: a winged man. Mark: a winged lion. Luke: a winged bull. John: an eagle). Two other panels show the instruments of our Lord’s passion: (the Cross, lance and crown of thorns; and the pillar and scourge). The wooden font cover, too, is richly decorated with symbols of the Two tables of the Ten Commandments; the Cross; the Sacred Heart of our Lord; the words ‘Quis ut Deus?’ meaning ‘Who is like God?’, which is the translation into Latin of the Hebrew name Michael, the chief of the Archangels; a vestment and a candle representing some aspects of the rite of baptism; the book of the Gospels and the ‘Pelican in her piety’, a figure from ancient legend showing the pelican opening her own breast in order to feed her young with her own blood – a symbol of the Eucharist, in which Christ feeds us with His own blood; the brazen serpent which was raised up by Moses to heal the people from the deadly bite of the fiery serpents in the wilderness; the symbol of the fish, an ancient secret sign among Christians in times of persecution, since the letters of the Greek word for fish, ‘ichthys’, can be used as an acronym for ‘Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour’; and the serpent in the garden of Eden, who caused our first parents to fall from God’s grace into sin.
On the left hand wall of the chapel is the war memorial to remind us to pray for the repose of the souls of those from our parish who died in the First World War (1914-18).
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Since 1975 the chapel has been the place of the baptismal font (the baptistery), in which we are baptised into Christ’s body, the Church, with all our sins forgiven. The font itself is made of Caen stone, a light limestone which is easily carved. It repays close attention. It is octagonal in shape, and each side has a carved low-relief panel, as is the case with so many medieval English fonts which can still be seen in ancient parishes churches around the land. The first panel, facing into the transept, represents the Lamb of God (so named by John the Baptist at Christ’s baptism in the River Jordan). Four other panels include the symbols of the four evangelists, each holding a scroll with a text from their gospel (Matthew: a winged man. Mark: a winged lion. Luke: a winged bull. John: an eagle). Two other panels show the instruments of our Lord’s passion: (the Cross, lance and crown of thorns; and the pillar and scourge). The wooden font cover, too, is richly decorated with symbols of the Two tables of the Ten Commandments; the Cross; the Sacred Heart of our Lord; the words ‘Quis ut Deus?’ meaning ‘Who is like God?’, which is the translation into Latin of the Hebrew name Michael, the chief of the Archangels; a vestment and a candle representing some aspects of the rite of baptism; the book of the Gospels and the ‘Pelican in her piety’, a figure from ancient legend showing the pelican opening her own breast in order to feed her young with her own blood – a symbol of the Eucharist, in which Christ feeds us with His own blood; the brazen serpent which was raised up by Moses to heal the people from the deadly bite of the fiery serpents in the wilderness; the symbol of the fish, an ancient secret sign among Christians in times of persecution, since the letters of the Greek word for fish, ‘ichthys’, can be used as an acronym for ‘Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour’; and the serpent in the garden of Eden, who caused our first parents to fall from God’s grace into sin.
On the left hand wall of the chapel is the war memorial to remind us to pray for the repose of the souls of those from our parish who died in the First World War (1914-18).
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