Sacrament For Sunday

Discovered this gem on my walk around London.

Founded in 1123 as an Augustinian Priory, the Grade 1 listed St Bartholomew the Great is London's oldest parish church, built during the reign of Henry I, son of William the Conqueror. It survived the Great Fire of 1666, the bombs of the Zeppelin raids of WW1 and the Blitz of WW2.

Main image is the Sacrament altar and I love the painterly feel of this nook.

As well as regular and daily services for the local community, the amazing Romanesque architecture (see extras) has appeared on the big screen in films like Four Weddings and a Funeral, Shakespeare in Love, Amazing Grace, Elizabeth: The Golden Age and more.

The Priory Church also contains a number of artworks by notable artists, some on display temporarily, some are permanent.

Sophie Arkette created Colloquy for an exhibition at the Temple Church as a response to the ongoing celebrations of Magna Carta. Positioned around the building, the glass elements are etched with text, which is both illuminated and distorted by the effects of light (see extra).

Damien Hirst's Saint Bartholomew, Exquisite Pain, 2006, is a 24 carat gilded bronze based on the tradition that the Apostle Bartholomew was flayed alive (see extra).