Even in quiet backwaters, the sanctity of the high altar was paramount. Those who dwelled in the fields, tended to their flocks, turned the soil, were all ripe for salvation, but never close enough to God to be allowed access to the most sacred corner of the church. This closed world was a safe space for those clad in the robes of the one true Christian church of Rome. I am of course referring to long time ago thing in England.
Like all seismic events, this was eventually to change very quickly, for sometimes the only way to change this is at speed. This change is always upon us, moving slowly most of the time, but sometimes a rare generation will experience seismic ruptures in the world they cling to. One such event saw the destruction of these stone and wooden screens, each one individual to the next, beautifully carved, but each sharing the same purpose, to hold back prying eyes from seeing the high alter, but giving enough of a glimpse through the use of imagary to the righteous path for all who sought redemption.
This 500 year old oak Rood-screen, bashed but still standing is a rare survivor. Having lost the images which would have adorned its now gaping holes, the precision of the wood turners skill is still on show, even if the skills of those who painted the spaces in-between has now been erased.
What we now see is as much a glimpse of the past just as when the rood was fully formed, allowing the congregation just a glimpse of what lies beyond.
St Mary Church, Greywell