Zombie Parent's Guide: St. James Church, Avebury

You may think the prehistoric stone circles and henges in England have some pagan religious or astrological purpose that makes it at best a historical curiosity or at worst an impressive achievement forwarding an evil end. Here's another thought on the matter:

"We have been giving careful thought to the affairs of the English, and have come to the conclusion that the temples of the idols among that people should on no account be destroyed. The idols are to be destroyed, but the temples themselves are to be aspersed with holy water, altars set up in them, and relics deposited there. For if these temples are well built, they must be purified from the worship of demons and dedicated to the service of the true God. In this way, we hope that the people, seeing that their temples are not destroyed, may abandon their error and, flocking more readily to their accustomed resorts, may come to know and adore the true God. And since they have a custom of sacrificing many oxen to demons, let some other solemnity be substituted in its place, such as a day of Dedication or the Festivals of the holy martyrs whose relics are enshrined there. On such occasions they might well construct shelters of boughs for themselves around the churches that were once temples, and celebrate the solemnity with devout feasting." - A copy of the letter sent by Pope Gregory to Abbot Mellitus on his departure for Britain in 601 AD (From Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People)

The builders of St. James Church in Avebury (who built it before the Norman Conquest in the late 1000s AD) situated the church very close to the massive Avebury Stone Circle. The purpose of the circle is a mystery though certainly people have assumed some pagan, druid, or other superstitious significance and power was involved in its construction and purpose. The builders of the church may have been following Pope Gregory's advice. The Saxon church underwent several revisions, first by the Normans adding aisles and then throughout the centuries by various others.

From outside the church seems like most other long-lived churches in England.

St. James Church, Avebury

It includes a standard graveyard.

Dual tombstones are plentiful here, though I am not sure why

More shady graves

There was even a small replica of Calvary, like many of the churches we visited during Eastertide this year.

Three crosses and an empty tomb

The tower is 15th century though the bells have been in and out of service throughout the years.

The tower

Remains of one of the bell braces

Inside, at the base of the tower is the Norman baptismal font (12th century), depicting Christ trampling two dragons, representing evil and sin.

Baptismal font with flowers

The nave is original from the 11th century, though aisles were added in 12th century.


Nave looking into the main altar

The rood screen (which held the crucifix/rood) survived the iconoclasm of Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries. The locals disassembled it and hid the wood, which was not recovered until the 1800s. Then it was reinstalled and painted by the Victorians, including their addition of the lower half of the screen.