St Peter's Church, Northampton

An ornately carved coffin such as that of St. Ragener in Northampton is a clear indication that pilgrims were expected, such artworks intended for display rather than burial

‍Highlights

• ‍‍Shrine slab of St. Ragener

This ancient church is an oasis of calm in Northampton’s modern centre. Its age seems all the more striking when approaching from the neighbouring Sol entertainment centre and cinema. It would be a near-perfect place of Christian witness, were it not for the fact that the church is now redundant.

Fortunately, the Churches Conservation Trust takes care of the building, in a material sense at least, and a key is available from the local Ibis Hotel. It is one of the few places in England where you can see the shrine tomb of a Saxon saint, an elaborate stone coffin lid currently on display in the south aisle.

The stone is carved with a central green man, beasts, and birds surrounding him in the entwined vine branches that emanate from his mouth. It has been dated to the late Saxon era, clearly designed for display rather than burial. St. Ragener’s shrine was miraculously rediscovered in the 11th century following a vision. Shortly after it was unearthed, it cured a crippled nun, Alfgiva of Abingdon. Curiosity got the better of the priest Bruning, who decided to open the coffin. Inside, he found the bones of a saint, with a scroll alongside stating that this was St. Ragener, nephew of St. Edmund King and Martyr. St. Edmund died at Hoxne in Suffolk during an attack by Viking raiders (page 162). The note claimed that St. Ragener died with him in the fight, though there is no other documentary evidence of his existence. He would have been buried in 870, around the same time as his uncle.

After the tomb’s rediscovery, St. Edward the Confessor paid for the shrine’s restoration in the mid-11th century. The shrine slab was almost certainly created at this time. The Saxon church was rebuilt in the 12th century to the highest quality, with more than a dozen perfectly preserved carved capitals still surviving. Like the shrine cover, none of them has any overt Christian symbolism.

There is a wide arch built into the south wall, next to where the shrine cover is displayed. This was no doubt built to house a tomb—possibly St. Ragener’s shrine, though such an important saint might have been nearer the high altar. His relics certainly remained central to the function of the church right through the Middle Ages. The shrine was referred to in a 14th-century document and again as a recipient of donations in 1496, a few decades before the Reformation put paid to such veneration. The tomb was broken up and the slab reused as a mantelpiece and then a door lintel before finally being recovered by St. Peter’s.

The church was declared redundant in 1998. It remains a consecrated building and is still used for occasional services as well as an expanding range of cultural activities. A few candles and an icon would bring further life to this urban island.‍

When in Northampton‍

In contrast to the obscure St. Ragener, England’s most famous medieval saint is also connected to Northampton. St. Thomas Becket was held prisoner in the city for defying the king’s authority and put on trial in 1164. He fled the city before the verdict was announced, and according to legend, stopped to drink at a well. It has been blessed by his association ever since and is now called Becket’s Well.

It was restored in 1984, with a mosaic by local school children showing scenes from the saint’s life. It was restored again in 2006, and when I visited, the water flowed from two lion heads into a trough. The water is, however, inaccessible and next to a busy road with a narrow pavement outside the main hospital. The well is on the route of the Way of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Some people—particularly those who live in Northampton—claim this was the capital city of England for 200 years. It is hard to find any time slot when that role wasn’t taken by either London or Winchester, let alone a 200-year period. However, St. Thomas Becket’s trial here shows it was indeed a centre of royal power.

Directions‍

St. Peter’s Church, Marefair, Northampton NN1 1SR

www.visitchurches.org.uk (search under Marefair)

W3W: rich.tests.system

GPS: 52.2366N 0.9036W‍

Full access details are on the CCT website listed above; at the time of research, a key was available from the nearby Ibis Hotel.

Becket’s Well is on Bedford Road, 30m east of the junction with Cheyne Walk. It is on the north side of the road, built into the boundary wall of Northampton General Hospital. Its exact GPS is 52.23515N 0.88852W.