Selby Abbey

 

Behold, Selby Abbey. One of very few surviving monastic churches (most got torn down following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the late 1560s as part of Henry VIII's creation of the Church of England). You may recall from an earlier entry that Westminster Abbey also survived the transition, but unlike Westminster, which was turned into a cathedral by royal decree, Selby managed to survive because it had already become the parish church for the local community and so continued to fill that role just minus the monks.

Selby was founded in 1069 and clearly reflects its Norman heritage; the chevrons over the main entrance are classic Norman architectural features, as are the engraved columns, which are similar to ones found at Durham Cathedral. Selby also has a few little oddities that set it apart. The picture just above is looking through the Leper's View- this is actually a 17-foot passage through the walls of the church which allows someone standing on the outside to look in to the sanctuary. Legend goes this was so lepers & other undesirables you wouldn't want parading around your church could still participate in worship. This is unusual, because most of the time these leper portals actually just allowed someone in a side chapel to peak at the main altar, but this one legit goes outside. Whether it was ever used by any lepers is unknown.

This is actually looking inside the carved capitol of a column adorning an outer wall of the church. I forget who this was supposed to be, but it is one of the more bizarre things I've seen in a church. You have to use the provided torch (US: flashlight) to even see he's there at all.

This came as a surprise to us Americans. Who knew there was an American Heritage Trail in the UK? Apparently not very many people since I can't even mind any mentions of it online. Selby is included because the family coat of arms of George Washingon's ancestors is included in a stained glass window. The window dates to the 14th century and is thought to be the earliest representation of the Washington coat of arms. So why do we care? Well, there's some thought that the crest, which features three red stars above alternating red & white stripes, was the inspiration for our own Stars and Stripes on the American flag. No one's quite sure why the crest is here; presumably some long-distant relative of George gave the monastery a sizable donation to be thus commemorated, but like many things, the details are lost to time.