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#BossoftheWeek ⁣ ⁣ Set into the ceiling of St Mary’s chancel is a roof boss depicting a pelican feeding her chicks. ⁣ ⁣ In medieval Europe, it was thought that the pelican was so attentive to her offspring that if no other food was available she would wound her own breast to provide blood as sustenance. This act of selflessness is represented in St Mary’s boss. ⁣ ⁣ On account of this belief, the pelican became a symbol for Jesus’ Passion and the Eucharist. This symbolism remained popular in Early Modern England, and Queen Elizabeth I took on the pelican emblem in order to depict herself as the “mother of the Church of England.”⁣ ⁣ The myth of pelican self-wounding may have come from the fact that the birds often push their bills onto their chests in order to fully empty their large pouches.⁣ ⁣ St Mary’s pelican is one of many roof bosses in the church that hold special symbolism. Be sure to keep checking out our posts here and on our website to learn more about the stories that can be found in the ceiling!⁣ ⁣ #art #churchart #stmarysbeverley #church #churchofengland #heritage #medieval #tudor #roofbosses #bossoftheweek #curiouscarvings #architecture #pelican

A post shared by St Mary's Church, Beverley (@stmaryschurch_beverley) on Jun 12, 2020 at 8:18am PDT

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#Bossoftheweek⁣ ⁣ Many bosses in St Mary’s ceiling bear words and letters. This boss displays the letters I H S, a monogram referring to Jesus Christ.⁣ ⁣ The letters I, H, and S represent the first three letters of the Greek for Jesus, ΙΗΣΟΥΣ, iota-eta-sigma. Coins bearing ‘IHS’ first appeared during the reign of the Roman Emperor Justinian II in the late 7th century, and it seems to have been in popular use in England by the fourteenth century, when it was included in William Langland’s poem “Piers Plowman”. ⁣ ⁣ Despite its origins,  IHS is sometimes taken to stand for the Latin acronym “Jesus Hominum Salvator” (“Jesus, Saviour of men”). This kind of interpretation is known as a back formed acronym, or backronym.⁣ ⁣ It is not known what meaning of IHS the carver of St Mary’s boss understood, but we can be sure that this emblem was put up into the ceiling of the church to remind those below whom they had come to the building to worship.⁣ ⁣ #art #churchart #stmarysbeverley #church #churchofengland #heritage #medieval #tudor #roofbosses #bossoftheweek #curiouscarvings #architecture

A post shared by St Mary's Church, Beverley (@stmaryschurch_beverley) on Mar 20, 2020 at 8:43am PDT

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#BossoftheWeek⁣ ⁣ This week’s Boss of the Week can be found at the back of St Mary’s nave, and shows a man suffering from a nightmare.⁣ ⁣ Throughout the pre-modern era, there are descriptions of an unusual disease that struck when you were asleep. Sufferers described that they would find themselves unable to move or speak, and would feel as if something was lying upon them and strangling them. This maleficent creature was thought to be some kind of demon, and became known as an incubus. ⁣ ⁣ Although we might now describe this sensation as a nightmare or form of sleep paralysis, the idea of incubi was widespread in the medieval and early modern period. It seems clear that this is what St Mary’s boss is depicting: the man’s eyes are closed as if he is asleep, and the beast is resting on his chest, crushing him.⁣ ⁣ Why is an image of an incubus attack in St Mary’s ceiling? Well, what better way to discourage people from falling asleep in church than to show a demon torturing you in your dreams?⁣ ⁣ #sleepwell #art #churchart #stmarysbeverley #church #churchofengland #heritage #medieval #tudor #roofbosses #bossoftheweek #curiouscarvings #architecture

A post shared by St Mary's Church, Beverley (@stmaryschurch_beverley) on Dec 13, 2019 at 8:07am PST

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#BossoftheWeek⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ For this week’s Boss of the Week, we have this curious carving showing a man with his head on his chest. ⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ The rumour of headless men (known as blemmyes) was widespread across the pre-modern and early modern period. They were described in ancient pagan texts (such as Heredotus and Pliny) and there are numerous examples of drawings of blemmyes, including in the c.1300 Hereford Mappa Mundi and a C13th manuscript shown in the second image. ⁣⁣⁣ ⁣ Blemmyes were largely described as residing in North Africa, but were also placed as far east as India. Regardless of their distant pseudo-origins, blemmyes appear to have been a staple in English folklore: they feature in the medieval misericords at Norwich Cathedral and Ripon Cathedral (shown in the third image). ⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ St Mary’s Blemmye seem to be responding to this folklore, and may have been designed to entertain the viewers below by invoking fantastical and exotic stories. ⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ #stmarysbeverley #church #churchofengland #heritage #medieval #tudor #roofbosses #bossoftheweek #curiouscarvings #gothic #architecture #beverley #blemmyes⁣

A post shared by St Mary's Church, Beverley (@stmaryschurch_beverley) on Oct 18, 2019 at 1:51am PDT

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#Bossoftheweek ⁣ ⁣ Set high up in the nave of St Mary’s is the carving of an ‘Ale Wife’, the medieval term used for women who brewed ale for sale. The original brewing profession (all the way back to ancient Mesopotamia) was principally performed by women. Female domination of this profession was likely because brewing could be done at home and maintained alongside women’s traditional roles as wives and mothers.⁣ ⁣ In the 1500s, around the time this boss was carved, hopped beer began supplanting ale as the popular drink in England. Beer had previously only been popular in the Netherlands and Belgium, but it gained popularity because it lasted longer and was easier to transport. With the growing professionalisation of the beer trade, the female-centric ale trade in England began to decline. ⁣ ⁣ Ale Wives were also a figure of popular comical condemnation in the medieval period, and were depicted in art and poetry as sinful, seductive, and often repulsive figures. This may explain the rather garish nature of St Mary’s Ale Wife – her large lips and eyes make her a grotesque figure. ⁣ 🍺⁣ This weekend, St Mary’s is hosting the Beverley Beer and Cider Festival. Specially for the festival, Great Newsome Brewery has kindly renamed one of their ales the ‘Ale Wife’. You’ll also find the Ale Wife on our fabulous festival coasters.⁣ 🍺⁣ The Festival’s schedule is ⁣ 4th Oct: 1pm-6pm; 6:30-11pm⁣ 5th Oct: Noon-11pm⁣ ⁣ #alewife #ale #wife ⁣#stmarysbeverley #church #churchofengland #heritage #medieval #tudor #roofbosses #bossoftheweek #curiouscarvings #gothic #architecture #beverley

A post shared by St Mary's Church, Beverley (@stmaryschurch_beverley) on Oct 4, 2019 at 1:55am PDT

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#BossoftheWeek⁣ ⁣ St Mary’s ceiling holds many different animals, doing all manner of bizarre things. Here, in a boss from the nave, we have a pig playing the bagpipes. ⁣ ⁣ Pig pipers were in fact a relatively popular image in the medieval period, and can be found in carvings, gargoyles, misericords, and roof bosses throughout the British Isles. ⁣ ⁣ Despite this popularity, we’re not really sure why medieval pigs played the bagpipes. A possible answer may simply be that it was funny! Like many other bosses in St Mary’s ceiling, we can guess that this curious carving was put up to entertain those visitors looking up.⁣ ⁣ #art #churchart #stmarysbeverley #church #churchofengland #heritage #medieval #tudor #roofbosses #bossoftheweek #curiouscarvings #architecture

A post shared by St Mary's Church, Beverley (@stmaryschurch_beverley) on Mar 30, 2020 at 5:54am PDT

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#BossoftheWeek⁣ ⁣ In the nave of St Mary’s Church is a boss showing two naked figures, and a snake with human features coiled around a tree. This is depicting Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and a moment called The Fall, or The Fall of Man.⁣ ⁣ According to the Book of Genesis in the Bible, God made the first man and woman (Adam and Eve) and placed them in the Garden of Eden, but forbade them from eating fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. However, a serpent tempted Eve to eat from the tree, and she shared the fruit with Adam. Immediately Adam and Eve became ashamed of their nakedness, and God banished them from the Garden of Eden.⁣ St Mary’s boss captures this moment evocatively. The grinning serpent looks on at Adam, who has just taken a bite of the apple. The couple are suddenly embarrassed by their nakedness, and they use their hands to cover themselves.⁣ ⁣ St Mary’s boss will have been designed to educate those viewing it from below, reminding them of this important story in the Bible.⁣ ⁣ #art #churchart #stmarysbeverley #church #churchofengland #heritage #medieval #tudor #roofbosses #bossoftheweek #curiouscarvings #architecture

A post shared by St Mary's Church, Beverley (@stmaryschurch_beverley) on Jan 30, 2020 at 7:09am PST