St Kyneburgha's Church, Castor

Peaceful starting point for a one-day pilgrimage to Peterborough Cathedral

Highlights

• St Kyneburga’s shrine fragment
• Former Celtic monastery
• Saxon and Norman sculptures

Castor’s church was founded so long ago that it might have been Celtic – one of the last and most remote outposts of the Lindisfarne missionary centre. St. Kyneburga established a double monastery here around 650, a typically Celtic form of community in which monks and nuns lived alongside each other under the overall leadership of an abbess.

The town of Castor is named after the huge Roman palace and fort that once stood here beside the River Nene. It is possible the nuns reused a Roman-era church, dating from the empire’s final, Christian decades. There is no direct evidence of such an early church building, but the surrounding area has produced some amazing relics of Roman-era Christianity. The world’s oldest communion plate and chalices were found 1 mile to the southwest of Castor in 1975, at a place called Water Newton. They date from the 4th century and are now displayed in the British Museum.

St. Kyneburga certainly used the ruined Roman walls as the setting for her new community, which she founded after her husband King Alfrid of Deira died. The pair are possibly mentioned on a famous stone cross in the furthest corner of England, at Bewcastle in Cumbria, and also in the Venerable Bede’s History (iii.21). She died here around 680 and was venerated in the church alongside her sister St. Kyneswitha, who succeeded her as abbess. Part of her shrine can be seen in the church, along with other early carvings and wall paintings. The two sisters’ relics were translated to Peterborough in 963 after Viking raids destroyed the community.

The church has worked hard to preserve its venerable heritage and worked harder still to ensure it is used in active worship. It recently installed a side chapel dedicated to its patron and Our Lady, with a modern wooden sculpture and a small stone carving thought to come from St. Kyneburga’s 8th-century shrine. The carving probably depicts St. Mark, a delicate portrayal in surprisingly good condition considering that the Vikings smashed the shrine during one of their raids. There is a place to light candles alongside and a prayer request board.

At the opposite end of the north aisle, on the west wall, is a painting of St. Catherine’s martyrdom, depicting her brutal execution on a wheeled rack. In the middle of the aisle is a Roman altar stone that was reused as the base of a cross by the Saxon community. Fittingly enough, St. Catherine was a Roman-era saint, a legendary figure who was executed during the 4th century for standing up to the pagan emperor Maxentius.

Another important artwork can be seen in the southwest column of the tower (the corner nearest the church entrance). Stand in the south side chapel and look at the carved capital at the top of the pillar on the left. This shows a woman and two men with shields fighting. The figure is almost certainly St. Kyneburga, who came from a background of warfare: her father was King Penda of Mercia, a powerful pagan warrior. The scene probably depicts one of her miracles: she was being pursued by two men and spilt the contents of her basket, which miraculously grew into bushes that protected her.

The south side chapel has yet another ancient feature that has returned to ritual use – a huge altar slab or mensa that was recovered from the churchyard in 2000 and reinstated in 2003. It was repaired and carved with five new consecration crosses on the top surface, as was the custom in medieval churches.

The Saxon church was in ruins after Viking raids and entirely rebuilt by the Normans. It was rededicated on 17 April 1124 – the date and event being commemorated by a very rare stone inscription above the priest’s door. This Latin script is visible from the churchyard, on the south wall of the chancel.

Another ancient sculpture can be seen over the main entrance, a carving of Christ in Majesty with the sun and the moon on either side of him. The church guide describes it as Celtic-Saxon, indicating a 7th-century date. If the original community really was Celtic, it would have switched to Roman tradition within a few years, soon after the Synod of Whitby in 664. A third member of Castor’s saintly family is St. Tibba, whose relics were venerated at Ryhall in Rutland. Her holy body was also moved to Peterborough in 963 to rest alongside her kinswomen. She might also have served at Castor sometime in the 7th century since the churches are less than 10 miles apart.

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Directions

St Kyneburgha’s Church, Stocks Hill, off Peterborough Road, Castor PE5 7AY

www.castorchurch.co.uk

W3W: buns.filed.rigs

GPS: 52.5729N 0.3420W

The church is on the north side of the village, up a turn beside the Royal Oak pub. It was open on my visit, but check if travelling far.