St. Mary's Church: Stepping into Now and Then

"St. Mary's Church Entry"

While exploring Totnes today I went to St. Mary's Church, a place of Christian worship for over a thousand years. Most of the Church that stands today was rebuilt from 1420 to 1455. On the grounds and inside too there is an historical thickness in the air. Various additions from different centuries are indicated with small laminated cards: a new niche here, an alter there, an aisle here, a stone screen there. The bells pealed twice during my walk through the church. The ringing of the eight bells (the heaviest is 1450 kg., almost 2 tons!) continues to be an important tradition. The old photographs of the bell ringers from the late 19th Century and from 2003 was just one of many indications to me that the church was not only ancient, but also alive with care and present-day awareness. There were several laminated copies of an African prayer sitting on surfaces throughout the church which ended with the line "and may our every breath be full of love."

"View through the Key Hole"