Thread by @friendschurches

This morning, come with us as we watch one little church make its daily spin around the Earth’s axis.
Arriving at dawn through farmland on the edge of the river Usk, the autumn sun rises over St Mary the Virgin, Llanfair Cilgedin, its pale light catching the bell-cote. 

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The church and bell-cote, designed by J.P. Seddon, were completed in 1876, but inside, St Mary's ancient foundations make their presence known in the stone of its two fonts - one Norman, one medieval –  

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... and in the hodgepodge fragments of stained glass, salvaged from the medieval church, where ancient faces look out at us from the past. 

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Outside, the day breaks into an azure sky, echoed indoors in the symphony of sgraffiti panels illustrating the Benedicite. These were created by archaeologist and Pre-Raphaelite artist Heywood Sumner.  
 
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On the church walls, Biblical figures tell stories, celestial beings herald the seasons, ordinary folk live out their industrious lives, and everywhere we look, there are animals - on land, in air and in water. Some are dynamic and spirited, others reflective and still. 

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Warmed by the beauty and brightness of this Arts & Crafts celebration of the Creation, and our natural world, we step outside once more. This time the Earth has spun round, and we look up into the vast and bottomless starlit sky. 
 
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To explore further, download our guide at friendsoffriendlesschurches.org.uk/wp-content/upl…
(English) or friendsoffriendlesschurches.org.uk/wp-content/upl…  (Cymraeg). 

Huge thank you to @fotofacade who camped out in the churchyard to capture a day in the life of this church.

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