Chester No. 1

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Results: 7 records

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B01: symbol - chrismon

Scene Description: with a rosette and dove on each side

Image Source: www.reggie.net

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B02: animal - bird - dove - facing each other - 2

Scene Description: facing each other across the chrismon

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B03: design element - motifs - floral - rosette - 2

Scene Description: one on each side of the chrismon

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B04: design element - motifs - foliage

Scene Description: all around forming the frame for the main motif

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view of font

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view of font and cover

view of font in context

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INFORMATION

FontID: 01426CHE

Church/Chapel: Cathedral Church [originally from Italy]

Church Patron Saints: [earlier (?) dedication to St. Werburga [aka Werbyrgh, Werburgh]]

Church Location: St Werburgh St, Chester CH1 2DY, United Kingdom -- Tel.: +44 1244 324756

Country Name: England

Location: Cheshire, North West

Directions to Site: The cathedral is located in the centre of downtown Chester

Font Location in Church: Inside the church, W end, N side of the nave

Century and Period: 8th century, Early Christian / Medieval

Font Notes: Click to view font notes

According to Cox & Harvey (1907), this is the oldest font at present [ca. 1907] in use in England, "brought in recent years from North Italy" [C&H cite the "Gloucestershire and Bristol Archaeological Society's Transactions", xi, as source]. Pevsner (1971) notes the later font [cf. Index entry for Chester No. 4], but illustrates a square mounted font with the caption: "Chester Cathedral, font, possibly Early Christian. Richards (1973) writes: "There are two fonts, one probably pre-Conquest", but fails to mention the origin or characteristics of the early font. The font consists of a square/quadrangular basin raised on four sets of colonnettes; the front side of the basin has a frame of tendril motif all around; inside the frame is a large chrismon in the centre with a facing dove on either side; on the lower part, between the legs of the birds and the chrismon, a rosette on each side.

COORDINATES

Church Latitude & Longitude Decimal: 53.19189, -2.89046

Church Latitude & Longitude DMS: 53° 11′ 30.8″ N, 2° 53′ 25.66″ W

UTM: 30U 507319 5893623

MEDIUM AND MEASUREMENTS

Material: stone, type unknown

Font Shape: square (mounted)

Basin Exterior Shape: square

INSCRIPTION

Inscription Language: Greek

Inscription Notes: in the usual arrangement, with the alpha on the left and the omega on the right, between the arms of the chi; the rho vertical

Inscription Location: on the chrismon

Inscription Text: [chi, rho, alpha and omega]

Inscription Source: [ImageArea]

LID INFORMATION

Material: wood,

Notes: square volume with pyramidal top, orb-and-dove finial; the cover covered in red and gold cloth

REFERENCES

Cox, John Charles, English Church Furniture, New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., 1907

Pevsner, Nikolaus, Cheshire, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1971

Richards, Raymond, Old Cheshire churches: a survey of their history, fabric and furniture with records of the older monuments, with a supplementary survey relating to the lesser old chapels of Cheshire, Didsbury, Manchester: E.J. Morten, 1973