The Anglican Church of St Mary at Templecombe, within the English county of Somerset, was built in the 12th century. The church was probably established during the period when the manor was held by Shaftesbury Abbey, but granted to the Knights Templar while it was held by his descendant Serlo FitzOdo, who established a preceptory in the village in 1185. The preceptory served as an administrative centre for the lands held by the Templars in the south west of England and Cornwall.
The Church of St Mary
In the church is a painting on wooden boards of a head (with very red hair), which was discovered in the roof of an outhouse of a local building in 1945 and which is thought to be from the 13th century.
Restoration work in the 1950s and again in the 1980s has identified gold stars on the picture and microscopic evidence for bright colours, which are no longer in evidence. The addition of a keyhole and hinges at some time in the past suggests it was used as a door.
For many years the head has been believed to be that of Christ, but without the halo which was the norm in religious iconography at the time. For that reason, some speculate it could represent Jesus before his baptism, or the severed head of John the Baptist (but I guess the Baptist too would have had a halo). However, other think that the gold stars on the picture are themselves the halo.
Click to enlarge
Further information here and here.
Just for a comparison, below are three images which
are thought to be either the Image of Edessa/Mandylion or the Veil of Veronica.
As you can see, the three images are very similar to the Templecombe head.
The Holy Face of San Silvestro (Vatican City)
No comments:
Post a Comment