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The effigial monument to John Gower in Southwark Cathedral, Surrey (now London).
The effigial monument to John Gower in Southwark Cathedral, Surrey (now London). John Gower (c 1330 – October 1408 was an English Poet, a contemporary of William Langland and a personal friend of Geoffrey Chaucer. Southwark Cathedral or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The London Borough of Southwark ( is a London borough in south east London, England.

A church monument is an architectural or sculptural memorial to a dead person or persons, located within a Christian church. The term architecture (from Greek αρχιτεκτονικήarchitektoniki) can be used to mean a process a profession or documentation A memorial is an object which serves as a memory of something usually a person (who has died or an event Death is the termination of the biological functions that define living Organisms It refers both to a specific A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth It can take various forms, from a simple wall tablet to a large and elaborate structure which may include an effigy of the deceased person and other figures of familial or symbolic nature. A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, is a plate of metal ceramic stone wood or other material typically attached to a wall stone or other vertical surface and bearing An effigy is a representation of a person especially in the form of Sculpture. It usually resides immediately above or close to the actual burial vault or grave, although very occasionally the tomb is constructed within it. For a protective coffin enclosure see Burial vault (enclosure. A grave is a place where a dead body (usually a human although sometimes an animal is buried For the New York prison see The Tombs. A Tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. Sometimes the monument is a cenotaph, commemorating a person buried at another location. A cenotaph is a tomb or a Monument erected in honour of a person or group of persons whose remains are elsewhere

Once only the subject of antiquarian curiosity, church monuments are today recognised as works of funerary art. Funerary art is any work of Art forming or placed in a repository for the remains of the dead. They are also valued by historians as giving a highly detailed record of antique costume and armour. The term costume can refer to Wardrobe and dress in general or to the distinctive style of dress of a particular people class or period Armour (or armor) is protective covering most commonly manufactured from metals to prevent damage from being inflicted to an individual or a vehicle through use of direct contact From the middle of the 15th century, many figurative monuments also represent genuine portraiture. A portrait is a painting, photograph, Sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person in which the face and its expression is predominant

Contents

Development

Thelwall's mural monument at Oxford (1630)
Thelwall's mural monument at Oxford (1630)

Medieval period

The earliest church monuments, dating from the early 12th century, were simple stone coffin-shaped grave coverings incised with a cross or similar design. Eubule Thelwall (c 1557 &ndash 8 October 1630) was principal of Jesus College Oxford from 1621 to 1630 A coffin (also known as a casket in North American English) is a funerary Box used in the display and containment of deceased remains – either for The first attempts at commemorative portraiture emerged soon afterwards, executed in low relief, horizontal but as in life. Gradually these became full high-relief effigies, usually recumbent, as in death, and, by the 14th century, with hands together in prayer. An effigy is a representation of a person especially in the form of Sculpture. In general, such monumental effigies were carved in stone, marble or wood, or cast in bronze or brass. Often the stone effigies were painted to resemble life, but on the vast majority of medieval monuments, this has long since disappeared. The crossed-legged attitude of numerous mail-armoured knights was long supposed to imply that the deceased had served in the Crusades, but this supposition is unfounded. Knight is the English term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages. The Crusades were a series of military campaigns of a religious character waged by much of Christian Europe against external and internal opponents By the early 13th century, the effigies became raised on tomb-style chests (known as tomb chests or altar tombs) decorated with foliage, heraldry or architectural detailing. Heraldry in its most general sense encompasses all matters relating to the duties and responsibilities of officers of arms. The term architecture (from Greek αρχιτεκτονικήarchitektoniki) can be used to mean a process a profession or documentation Soon such chests also stood alone with varying degrees of decorations. By the end of the century, these often had architectural canopies and figured 'weepers' (often friends or relatives identified by their coats of arms) were popular decorative features. A coat of arms or armorial bearings (often just arms for short in European tradition is a design belonging to a particular person (or group of people In the 15th century these often became angels or saints and the chest might include a cadaver. An angel is a Spiritual Supernatural being found in many Religions Although the nature of angels and the tasks given to them vary from tradition to tradition A saint (from the Latin sanctus) is a human being to whom has been attributed (and who has generally demonstrated a high level of Holiness and Sanctity A cadaver tomb (or " Memento mori Tomb " Latin for "reminder of death" is a Church monument or Tomb featuring The best monuments were made of alabaster. Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct Minerals Gypsum (a hydrous sulfate of Calcium) and Calcite Around the 13th century, smaller two-dimensional effigies incised in plates of brass and affixed to monumental slabs of stone became popular too. These memorial brasses were somewhat cheaper and particularly popular with the emerging middle class. Monumental brass is a species of engraved sepulchral memorial which in the early part of the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments

The monument to Sir John Hotham in St Mary's, South Dalton. The sculpture dates from after 1697 and includes a skeleton and the four cardinal virtues.
The monument to Sir John Hotham in St Mary's, South Dalton. This article is about John Hotham the elder for his son see John Hotham the younger. South Dalton is a village in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The sculpture dates from after 1697 and includes a skeleton and the four cardinal virtues.

Early modern period

In the 16th century, church monuments became increasingly influenced by Renaissance forms and detailing (pilasters, wreaths, strapwork, skulls, coffered arches, obelisks, allegorical figures, etc), particularly in France, the Netherlands and, eventually, England. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere A coffer (or coffering) in Architecture, is a sunken panel in the shape of a square rectangle or Octagon in a Ceiling, Soffit or An obelisk (from Greek ὀβελίσκος - obeliskos, diminutive of ὀβελός - obelos, "spit nail pointed pillar" Allegorical sculpture refers to sculptures that symbolize and particularly personify abstract ideas There were major innovations in effigial posture, the deceased often being shown reclining or kneeling in prayer and surrounded by the whole family, as in life. Cadavers were replaced by skeletons. The 'hanging' mural or wall monument also became popular, sometimes with half-length 'demi-figures'; and also the floor-bound heraldic ledger stone. The 17th century saw an increase in classicism and the use of marble. As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar For the works or study of works from classical antiquity see Classics Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to Marble is a nonfoliated Metamorphic rock resulting from the Metamorphism of Limestone, composed mostly of Calcite (a crystalline form of Effigies might be sitting or standing, grief-stricken, shrouded or, unusually, rising from the grave. Busts and relief portraits were popular. A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure depicting a person's head and Neck, as well as a variable portion of High Baroque monuments were some of the grandest ever constructed. Baroque art redirects here Please disambiguate such links to Baroque painting, Baroque sculpture, etc Decoration turned to cherubs, urns, drapery, garlands of fruit and flowers. In the 18th century, church monuments became more restrained, placed before two-dimensional pyramids, but more Roman-like, with the deceased often depicted in Roman dress or as a cameo-like 'medallion portrait'. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system For the "brief appearance" see Cameo appearance. For the "chemical emergency software" see Computer-Aided Management of Emergency The Rococo style gave more movement to these figures.

Victorian period

The early 19th century brought us Greek Revival monuments, some quite plain wall plaques, some with sentimental and romantically realistic figures (perhaps rising to heaven) or other devices like weeping willows. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries predominantly in northern Europe and the United States Willows, sallows and osiers form the Genus Salix, around 400 species of Deciduous Trees and Shrubs found primarily Gothic Revival followed, with the obvious return to alabaster, tomb chests and recumbent effigies. The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement which began However, the Victorian age saw many differing styles, until large-scale monuments fell out of fashion at the end of the century. Culture The Victorian fascination with novelty resulted in a deep interest in the relationship between modernity and cultural continuities 20th century large-scale monuments are not unknown, but quite rare. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on

Examples of English church monuments

Part of the memorial placed by Ann Bellamy Lynn to her husband George at St Mary's church Southwick, Northamptonshire
Part of the memorial placed by Ann Bellamy Lynn to her husband George at St Mary's church Southwick, Northamptonshire

The church monuments of England, in particular, have been preserved in far greater numbers and, generally, in better condition than those of other countries, and are second to none in artistic merit. Southwick (pronounced "Suth-ick" is a small village in Northamptonshire, England. Fine examples may be found in cathedrals and parish churches in every county, for example:

References

External links

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