The Chapel of St Mary: a guide

This is a great in-depth look at the history of the Chapel and its unique medieval wall paintings.

We hope that this booklet will help to elevate the wall paintings of St Mary's chapel at Bradwell Abbey to their proper place within the landscape of English medieval church decoration. The paintings are unique in portraying a group of contemporary men and women kneeling at the end of their pilgrimage to offer gifts at a shrine. The chapel offers us a wonderful relic of Milton Keynes' medieval past; an important piece of evidence for the uses and function of the chapel; and a revealing glimpse of medieval pilgrimage in general.

This booklet places the paintings in their historical context, with comparisons drawn from other local and national survivals. You will find general introductions to medieval pilgrimage and wall painting, as well as an outline of the conventions of Christian imagery, to better aid an understanding of the iconography, narrative and function of the paintings

Nadia Witkowski

Milton Keynes City Discovery Centre, [2011].

36pp pbk.

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