Church hopes to uncover more medieval frescoes
HOPES that there may be more medieval frescoes concealed under plaster at the Castel Church have led to it seeking funding for extraordinary repairs that could uncover them.
Rector the Rev. Scott Lamb said that the plaster in the vestry is starting to flake off, but this part was a side chapel when the building was constructed some 800-900 years ago.
‘We need to be mindful that there might be more medieval paintings underneath the plaster,’ he said.
A set of frescoes was uncovered in the church in the 1800s after a lightning strike was thought to have caused damage to the walls, and these images were restored in the 1960s.
Because of the care required in removing the plaster without causing any damage to what might lie underneath, the work is set to cost £60,000.
But rather than ask parishioners to foot the bill all at once, the rector and churchwardens were advised to request the money in instalments.
The recent annual meeting of parishioners took place at the douzaine room, and as well as £2,000 for ordinary repairs to the church, a further £25,000 was approved for extraordinary repair work to be carried out.
Mr Lamb said that is likely to get under way in three years, which will mean two more instalments being required from the parish.
Churchwarden Chris Workman said that it is likely that some initial exploratory work will
take place.
The ancient lime plaster is probably too thick for an x-ray machine to penetrate, so it is more likely that the work will need to be manual.
‘We might ask the Guernsey Heritage people to look at it first,’ he said.
‘We’ll need to get permission from them to do it anyway, and probably from the Environment Department.
‘It would be great if there are some more paintings under there, but there’s no guarantee.’
The existing frescoes are one of only two sets of such paintings in the island, with the others at Ste Apolline’s Church in St Saviour’s.
One of the two large Castel
illustrations shows the 12 disciples at the Last Supper and a female figure, possibly Mary Magdalene.
The other depicts three courtiers on horseback hunting in the woods with falcons and the hunters meeting three skeletons.
Immediately after the church meeting, the ratepayers and electors held their parish meeting at which they agreed to raise £195,000 by means of the owner’s rate this year, plus £230,000 to be raised from refuse rates.
