| The Parish Church of St James |  |
| St. James's Road, Hampton Hill, TW12 1DQ (Parish Office 020 8941 6003) | |
| THE CHURCH BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS | |
| Section Contents: Introduction
| Building Projects | Images
of St. James's | Inside the Church | Symbols
in the Church | The
Church Hall | The Church
& Grounds Through the Years | The Churchyard
| The Tower and Spire | The
Vicarage |
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| Inside
the Church Contents: | Inside the Church |
Baptistry
| Bell Tower | Chancel
| Nave | North & South
Aisles | Organ | Sanctuary
| South Porch | Vestry
| West Porch |
Inside the Church - The Baptistry
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The baptistry surrounds the baptismal font and
is at the back of the church, near the original entrance in the
south porch. As we come into the church to worship, we pass the
font and this reminds us of our baptism because baptism is the entry
point into the Christian faith. |
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| Model of the church made by E.E.Bryant, October 1937, kept in the baptistry |
When a baptism takes
place in the nave, a smaller, wooden font is used at the front of
the church |
Corbel at the entrance to the baptistry (a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry a heavy weight) |
| The Font |
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A baptismal font
is a piece of church furniture used for baptism. The font is a large
octagonal (eight-sided) bowl-shaped stone which holds the water used
in baptism. This water has been sanctified (made holy) by the priest.
There is a small wooden font which is used when a baptism is held
in the nave. The font has a wooden cover (see right). |
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Our baptismal font
is a large octagonal (eight-sided) bowl-shaped stone which holds the
water. In terms of Christian symbolism, the number eight and the octagon
represent the resurrection and rebirth. This is because Christ rose
from the grave eight days after his entry into Jerusalem so the eight
sides became symbols of baptism, the spiritual rebirth of a person.
The eight sides are beautifully carved, each with a different symbol design: • A and O - Alpha and Omega which are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, meaning the beginning and the end. • IHS or IHC - the first three letters of the Greek for Jesus (IHCOYC). • XP - the first two letters of the Greek word for Christ (XPICTOC). • A Double Trinity Star showing that God is triune (three-in-one) - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The other four symbols (the four 'living creatures' who surround God's throne) come from the prophecies of Ezekiel 1.4, and Revelation 4.2, which became associated with the evangelists. Each of the symbols is depicted with wings following the biblical sources. • The image of a man or angel represents the Gospel of St. Matthew and signifies Christ's human nature. • The lion represents the Gospel of St. Mark and is a traditional symbol of royalty and power and, therefore, denotes Christ the King. • The ox or calf, the sacrificial victim, represents the Gospel of St. Luke and highlights the priestly character of Christ's mission. • The eagle stands for the Gospel of St. John, the evangelist 'who soars to the heavens' because his theology is much more developed than the three Synoptic Gospels. Just as an eagle soars above the earth, so John's theology soars above the other Gospels. These symbols were developed as a way of helping people to remember the different Gospels and the perspectives that they took, especially at a time when most people could not read. |
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| The Baptistry Stained Glass
Windows |
| Stained glass has been used to add beauty and colour to our church. Most of our windows show biblical scenes, and these helped to teach the people about religion in the days when most of them could not read. The separate pieces of glass each have their own colour and are set into strips of lead. The colours in early stained glass were each thought to have a meaning; for instance, red meant divine love, white - divine wisdom, yellow - faith, and so on. |
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| Further Information |
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Contact the Parish Office 020 8941 6003 |
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Associated pages on this website: Baptism | Bell Tower | Baptistry Stained Glass Windows Through the Years: The New Baptistry (1888 January) |