St John the Baptist Church, Clayton

Extensive paintings in this church offer a compelling detour from the Old Way pilgrimage route, which runs a short distance to the south of the building

Highlights

• Early wall paintings

Of all the early medieval wall paintings, Clayton’s scenes are among the best preserved in England. Christ is depicted three times around the chancel arch, each one a powerful representation in conventional iconographic style.

The paintings are often compared to Hardham, but this artist seems to have much more extensive training in classical art. Certainly, Clayton’s images owe more to Byzantine conventions. The Christ in Majesty at the pinnacle of the chancel arch is set in a mandorla shape, which is a representation of the world. He has his hands in the traditional orantes pose, his arms held up and palms facing the viewer. A later Christ in Majesty would show him wearing a crown. This is Christ praying for the world.

On either side of the chancel arch the Saviour appears twice more. On the left-hand side, he hands a large key to St Peter, and on the right, he passes a weighty book to St Paul. Other images at Clayton show slender figures, boxed in by two-dimensional buildings. The style, composition and flat perspectives all reveal the influence of conventional iconographic tradition, commonly referred to as Byzantine. Most early medieval art in England has such stylistic links to the East.

Clayton’s images suggest strongly that these Byzantine influences were picked up from icons, which were prevalent in early English churches and monasteries and easily transported from overseas.

Clayton’s paintings might be as early as 1080 and are generally considered to date no later than the 12th century. The church itself is a hybrid Anglo-Norman construction built around the time of the Conquest. It is dedicated to St John the Baptist. One curious detail is mentioned in the guide: the church floor is below ground level. As at some other churches dedicated to the Baptist, you step down into the church building, mimicking the action of entering water for baptism.

The paintings are true frescoes: images painted onto the plaster while it was still wet. As at Hardham, the limited colour palette is not simply the result of fading over the centuries. The artist had two main colours, red and yellow, along with black and white. Traces of blue can also be detected, used sparingly – an expensive pigment of lapis lazuli gemstone ground into powder.

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Directions

St John the Baptist Church, Underhill Lane, Clayton, Hassocks BN6 9PJ

www.claytonwithkeymer.org.uk

W3W: arming.tenure.habit

GPS: 50.9106N 0.1534W

Hassocks railway station 1.6km

Clayton is just off the A273, 1 mile north of the junction with the A23. The church is in the middle of the village, usually open daily.

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