St Mary's church in Sporle - view west

Image: © Evelyn Simak Taken: 16 Jul 2010

St Mary's church > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1270651 is located at the northern end of the village, above the primary school > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1270629 east of The Street > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1270521 - the main thoroughfare through the village. The building dates mainly from the 13th and 14th centuries but was restored in Victorian times.. It still houses a C13 Purbeck marble font > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1966216 with shallow blank arcading, a (restored) C15 nave roof and the remains of a 15th century parclose screen in the south aisle > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1966204. The probably greatest treasure of the church is a medieval wall painting > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1966208 depicting the legend of St Catherine in a number of coloured panels. She was born in Alexandria and raised a pagan, but converted to Christianity in her late teens. She was condemned to death on the breaking wheel, an instrument of torture but according to legend the wheel broke when she touched it and she was consequently beheaded. St Catherine became one of the most influential saints in the religious culture of the late middle ages. Her principal symbol is the spiked wheel, which has become known as the Catherine wheel.

Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0