Church Apotropaic Symbols and Marks Of Piety
Symbols scribed into the stone jambs around the main doorways into churches, and sometimes on the doors themselves, may at first appear to be a meaningless jumble of scratch marks, letters, arrows and circular patterns. They may not be noticed at all. Observations made over the last 40 years, not on...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis
[2015]
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| In: |
Material religion
Year: 2015, Volume: 11, Issue: 4, Pages: 575-577 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) |
| Summary: | Symbols scribed into the stone jambs around the main doorways into churches, and sometimes on the doors themselves, may at first appear to be a meaningless jumble of scratch marks, letters, arrows and circular patterns. They may not be noticed at all. Observations made over the last 40 years, not only in my adopted county of Suffolk but also in other parts of England, make it possible to suggest some reasons why they were done.There are strong parallels to similar symbols found around parts of domestic buildings during the early modern period. These are the openings that craftsmen and householders considered vulnerable as potential entry points for harmful spirits. In the home these marks were also scribed or painted around the doorways, windows and particularly around the chimney beam. In stables and cattle sheds these symbols were placed around the stalls, and in barns near the stored crops and at the entrance, and sometimes on the door itself.Such marks changed from being wholly religious in purpose to having a more secular meaning, and developed both before and during the changes from Reformation to Puritan worship. This short introduction concentrates on an interpretation of some symbols added to ecclesiastical buildings before, during and after this transition. |
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| ISSN: | 1751-8342 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Material religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/17432200.2015.1103506 |