Hagioscope
Encyclopedia
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, is an opening through the wall of a church in an oblique direction, to enable the worshippers in the transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
s or other parts of the church, from which the altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
was not visible, to see the elevation of the host.
Hagioscopes were also sometimes known as "leper windows" wherein a squint was made in an external wall so that lepers and other non-desirables could see the service without coming into contact with the rest of the populace.
In medieval architecture hagioscopes were often a low window in the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
wall and were frequently protected by either a wooden shutter or iron bars. Hagioscopes are found on one or both sides of the chancel arch; in some cases a series of openings has been cut in the walls in an oblique line to enable a person standing in the porch (as in Bridgwater
Bridgwater
Bridgwater is a market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is the administrative centre of the Sedgemoor district, and a major industrial centre. Bridgwater is located on the major communication routes through South West England...
church, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
) to see the altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
; in this case and in other instances such openings were sometimes provided for an attendant, who had to ring the Sanctus bell when the Host was elevated.
At St Bees Priory
St Bees Priory
St Bees Priory is the parish church of St Bees, Cumbria. The Benedictine priory was founded by William le Meschin, Lord of Egremont on an earlier religious site, and was dedicated by Archbishop Thurstan of York sometime between 1120 and 1135...
a purpose-built squint was included in the wall of the 14th-century chapel to give a view of the high altar. The window is low enough to allow a person to kneel whilst looking through the aperture. It is now infilled.
The hagioscope at St Mary the Virgin, Lytchett Matravers
St Mary the Virgin, Lytchett Matravers
St Mary the Virgin, usually called St Mary's, is a church situated on the edge of Lytchett Matravers village in Dorset, England, and is part of Salisbury Diocese.-Foundation:...
is unusually large; although unknown in origin it provides a view to the communion table from the 16th-century north aisle. It is large enough that it is often used as a corridor for access to the chancel.
Though rarely encountered in continental Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, they are occasionally found e.g. to allow a monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
in one of the vestries
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
to follow the service and to communicate with the bell-ringers.
Sometimes squints were placed to enable nuns to observe the services - without having to give up their isolation. At the church of St Helen
St Helen's Bishopsgate
St Helen's Bishopsgate is a large conservative evangelical Anglican church, in Lime Street ward, in the City of London, close to the Lloyd's building and the 'Gherkin'.-History:...
's in Bishopsgate
Bishopsgate
Bishopsgate is a road and ward in the northeast part of the City of London, extending north from Gracechurch Street to Norton Folgate. It is named after one of the original seven gates in London Wall...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, which is one of the largest surviving ancient churches of London, its interesting design arose from it once having been two separate places of worship. The first was a 13th-century parish church and the second was the chapel of a Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
convent.
Here on the convent side of the church one can find an ancient "squint", which allowed the nuns to observe the parish masses; church records show that the squint in this case was not enough for the nuns who were eventually admonished to "abstain from kissing secular persons," a habit to which it seems they had become "too prone".
Germany
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
which had a small population in the Middle ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
and only a few bigger cities. In cities lepers lived together in housing estates which often had their own chapels. In Georgsmarienhütte
Georgsmarienhütte
Georgsmarienhütte is a town in the district of Osnabrück, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Teutoburg Forest, approx. 7 km south of Osnabrück.- History :...
the hagioscope of church St. Johann which belonged to the former Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
convent Kloster Oesede, founded in the 12th Century and reconstructed in the early 1980s. Nearby in Bad Iburg
Bad Iburg
Bad Iburg is a town in the district of Osnabrück, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Teutoburg Forest, 16 km south of Osnabrück....
a hagioscope was rediscovered at St. Clemens, church of former Benedictine monastery in the castle and monastery complex Schloss Iburg. Other hagioscopes in Lower Saxony are found in Bokelesch
Saterland
Saterland is a municipality in the district of Cloppenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated between the cities of Leer, Cloppenburg, and Oldenburg...
, Westoverledingen
Westoverledingen
Westoverledingen is a municipality in the Leer district, in Lower Saxony, Germany....
, Dornum
Dornum
Dornum is a village and a municipality in the East Frisian district of Aurich, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the North Sea coast, approx...
, Midlum
Land Wursten
Land Wursten is a Samtgemeinde in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 20 km southwest of Cuxhaven, and 15 km north of Bremerhaven...
, Kirchwahlingen (Gemeinde Böhme)
Soltau-Fallingbostel
Heidekreis is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Harburg, Lüneburg, Uelzen, Celle, Hanover, Nienburg, Verden and Rotenburg.-History:...
and Hankensbüttel
Hankensbüttel
Hankensbüttel is a municipality in the Samtgemeinde Hankensbüttel in the district of Gifhorn, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 25 km south of Uelzen, and 30 km north of Gifhorn.-History:...
.
In Northrhine-Westphalia St. Antonius-Kapelle in Gescher-Tungerloh-Capellen
Gescher
Gescher is a municipality in the district of Borken, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located near the border with the Netherlands.It is most often known for its bell work, and it includes a Museum of Bells. It also has bus services to...
has a hagioscope. St. Antonius is used as Autobahn chapel at Bundesautobahn 31
Bundesautobahn 31
is a German Autobahn that connects the coast of the North Sea near Emden to the Ruhr area. It is also known as Emsland-Autobahn or East Frisian Skewer....
. Another hagioscope is found in St. Ulricus in Börninghausen
Preußisch Oldendorf
Preußisch Oldendorf is a town in the Minden-Lübbecke district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. in 1905 the town name Oldendorf was changed officially by putting "Preußisch" in front of it, to make the distinction from other towns with the same name more easy .-Geography:Preußisch Oldendorf is...
. In Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
the church of St. Eligius-Hospital in Neuerburg
Neuerburg
Neuerburg is a town in the district Bitburg-Prüm, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.It is situated in the Eifel, near the border with Luxembourg, approx. 20 km north-west of Bitburg and 20 km north-east of Diekirch....
has a hagioscope. In Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
there is a hagioscope in St. Peter und Paul, the Old Cemetery Church of Nusplingen
Nusplingen
Nusplingen is a Swabian town in the Zollernalb district, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.The town is located in the valley of the small river Bära, about 12 miles up-river from where it flows in to the Danube. In the Middle Ages Nusplingen gained the rights of a city...
.
Sweden
In Sweden Bro Kyrka near VisbyVisby
-See also:* Battle of Visby* Gotland University College* List of governors of Gotland County-External links:* - Visby*...
on Gotland
Gotland
Gotland is a county, province, municipality and diocese of Sweden; it is Sweden's largest island and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, the region makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area...
has a cross shaped hagioscope.
Other hagioscopes are at the church of Vreta Abbey
Vreta Abbey
Vreta Abbey, Swedish Vreta Kloster, in operation from the beginning of the 12th century to 1582, was the first nunnery in Sweden, initially Benedictine and later Cistercian, and one of the oldest in Scandinavia. It was located in the municipality of Linköping in Östergötland.- History :The exact...
near Linköping
Linköping
Linköping is a city in southern middle Sweden, with 104 232 inhabitants in 2010. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality with 146 736 inhabitants and the capital of Östergötland County...
, Granhult Kyrka in Uppvidinge
Uppvidinge Municipality
Uppvidinge Municipality is a municipality in Kronoberg County, southern Sweden, with its seat in the town of Åseda.The present municipality, which took its name from a hundred, was formed by the local government reform of 1971 when Lenhovda, Nottebäck, Åseda and Älghult were amalgamated. The...
and Husaby
Husaby
Husaby, near Kinnekulle, is a village belonging to Götene municipality in the province of Västergötland, Sweden. It is most known for the old stone church Husaby Church...
Kyrka in Götene
Götene Municipality
Götene Municipality is a municipality in Västra Götaland County in western Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Götene....
. The wooden church in Granhult (Småland
Småland
' is a historical province in southern Sweden.Småland borders Blekinge, Scania or Skåne, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means Small Lands. . The latinized form Smolandia has been used in other languages...
) has a hagioscope which can be closed.
Netherlands
St. Vitus in WetsensDongeradeel
- History :Dongeradeel was created in 1984 from a merger of the old municipalities Westdongeradeel, Oostdongeradeel, and Dokkum. The new municipality is still colloquially referred to in the plural, "de Dongeradelen".- Population centres :...
, and Jistrum
Jistrum
Jistrum is a small village in Tytsjerksteradiel in the province Friesland of the Netherlands. It lies Northeast of the Burgumer Mar and has around the 964 citizens . The village has a yacht harbour that is connected with lake and lies on the Zevenwoudenpad...
, both in Friesland
Friesland
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
, have hagioscopes.
France
In France the hagioscope of Notre Dame in Dives-sur-MerDives-sur-Mer
-Transport:Dives-sur-Mer is on the line from Deauville to Dives-sur-Mer. The station is open, train services operate year round at weekends as well as on week days during the summer season. Dives is also on line #20 of the Calvados bus company Bus Verts du Calvados....
, Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, has the inscription trou aux lépreux (leper window). Another hagioscope is known at St. Laurent in Deauville
Deauville
Deauville is a commune in the Calvados département in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.With its racecourse, harbour, international film festival, marinas, conference centre, villas, Grand Casino and sumptuous hotels, Deauville is regarded as the "queen of the Norman beaches" and...
, Normandy.
England
Churches in England with hagioscopes include:- St James' in Great OrmsideGreat OrmsideGreat Ormside is a small village in the parish of Ormside, in the Eden District, in the English county of Cumbria. It is a few miles away from the small town of Appleby-in-Westmorland. It is near the River Eden. There is also the smaller neighbouring hamlet of Little Ormside. It also has a church...
, CumbriaCumbriaCumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
- St Bees PriorySt Bees PriorySt Bees Priory is the parish church of St Bees, Cumbria. The Benedictine priory was founded by William le Meschin, Lord of Egremont on an earlier religious site, and was dedicated by Archbishop Thurstan of York sometime between 1120 and 1135...
, St Bees, Cumbria
- St Mary’s Church, Easington, County DurhamEasington, County DurhamEasington is a town in eastern County Durham, England. It comprises the ancient village of Easington Village and the ex-mining town of Easington Colliery, which are separate civil parishes. It is located at the junction of the A182 leading north-west to Hetton-le-Hole. Seaham Harbour and...
- St Martin's Church in WarehamWareham, DorsetWareham is an historic market town and, under the name Wareham Town, a civil parish, in the English county of Dorset. The town is situated on the River Frome eight miles southwest of Poole.-Situation and geography:...
, DorsetDorsetDorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
- St Mary's, Lytchett MatraversSt Mary the Virgin, Lytchett MatraversSt Mary the Virgin, usually called St Mary's, is a church situated on the edge of Lytchett Matravers village in Dorset, England, and is part of Salisbury Diocese.-Foundation:...
A particularly large example of a hagioscope
- St. Laurence and All Saints Church, EastwoodSt. Laurence and All Saints Church, EastwoodSt. Laurence and All Saints is a Grade I listed medieval church in the parish of Eastwood, Essex, England which has been under threat from plans to expand London Southend Airport....
, EssexEssexEssex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
- St Andrew and St Bartholomew's in AshleworthAshleworthAshleworth is a village and civil parish in the Tewkesbury district of Gloucestershire, England, with a population of 553 , about six miles north of Gloucester...
, GloucestershireGloucestershireGloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
.
- Church of the Holy Rood, HolybourneHolybourneHolybourne is a village in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 1.3 miles northeast of Alton, just off the A31 road.The nearest railway station is 1.3 miles southwest of the village, at Alton....
, HampshireHampshireHampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
- Holy Trinity Church in Bradford on AvonBradford on AvonBradford on Avon is a town in west Wiltshire, England with a population of about 9,326. The town's canal, historic buildings, shops, pubs and restaurants make it popular with tourists....
, WiltshireWiltshireWiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
- St. Cuthbert's Church, AldinghamAldinghamAldingham is a village and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. It is situated on the east coast of the Furness peninsula, facing into Morecambe Bay, and is about east of Barrow in Furness, and south of Ulverston...
, LancashireLancashireLancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
- St James' The Less in SulgraveSulgraveSulgrave is a village and civil parish in South Northamptonshire, England, about north of Brackley.-Parish church:The Church of England parish Church of St James the Less is part of the benefice of Culworth with Sulgrave and Thorpe Mandeville and Chipping Warden with Edgcote and Moreton Pinkney.By...
, NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
.
- St Mary's Church, GrendonGrendonGrendon is a small village and civil parish in rural Northamptonshire, England on the borders of Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire. Many houses are made of the local limestone and various older thatched houses still survive. The name of the village means "green hill" and today the village remains...
, NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
- see above picture
- St Cuthbert’s ChurchBeltinghamBeltingham is a small village on the River South Tyne in Northumberland, in England. It is situated southeast of Bardon Mill and to the west of Hexham. Beltingham is a most attractive village with stone houses about a little green with pretty flowering gardens...
, BeltinghamBeltinghamBeltingham is a small village on the River South Tyne in Northumberland, in England. It is situated southeast of Bardon Mill and to the west of Hexham. Beltingham is a most attractive village with stone houses about a little green with pretty flowering gardens...
, NorthumberlandNorthumberlandNorthumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
- St Aidan Bamburgh Northumberland
- St Oswald'sSt Oswald's Church, SowerbySt Oswald's Church is located in Sowerby, in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is named after Oswald of Northumbria.The earliest church at Sowerby, of which any part remains, appears to have been built about 1140. The fine south doorway was probably built in the 11th century and most of...
in SowerbySowerby, North YorkshireSowerby is a small village and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England, it is situated immediately south of Thirsk....
, North YorkshireNorth YorkshireNorth Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
- St Peter's in UptonUpton, Newark and SherwoodUpton is a small village in Nottinghamshire, England, located east of Southwell, west of Newark and south of Hockerton; it lies on the A612 Nottingham-Newark road. The village sits on a bend in the main road, "on the summit of a hill which commands a fine view of the Trent Valley......
, NottinghamshireNottinghamshireNottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
- St Nicholas' in Old MarstonMarston, OxfordMarston is a village and civil parish about northeast of the centre of Oxford, England. It was absorbed within the city boundaries in 1991. It is commonly called Old Marston to distinguish it from the suburb of New Marston that developed between St. Clement's and the village in the 19th and 20th...
, OxfordshireOxfordshireOxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
- St Nicholas'St Nicholas' Church, KenilworthSt Nicholas' Church is situated a short distance south of High Street in the Warwickshire town of Kenilworth, England, and is a fine example of an English parish church in Perpendicular style with Tudor alterations, in the handsome red sandstone of the region...
in KenilworthKenilworthKenilworth is a town in central Warwickshire, England. In 2001 the town had a population of 22,582 . It is situated south of Coventry, north of Warwick and northwest of London....
, WarwickshireWarwickshireWarwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
- St Mary and St CuthbertSt Mary and St Cuthbert, Chester-le-StreetThe parish church of St Mary and St Cuthbert is a Church of England church in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England. The site has been used for worship for over 1100 years; elements of the current building are over 950 years old...
in Chester-le-StreetChester-le-StreetChester-le-Street is a town in County Durham, England. It has a history going back to Roman times when it was called Concangis. The town is located south of Newcastle upon Tyne and west of Sunderland on the River Wear...