14th-century craftsmanship
Today, the space is cool and white, but in the Middle Ages both the walls and the windows were brilliantly coloured - it must have been like walking into a kaleidoscope. Sadly, only a few traces of paint survive on the stonework, and there are only a few fragments of the original stained glass left.
'... it was believed that having masses and prayers said could reduce the amount to time your soul spent in Purgatory.'
The niches on the buttresses between the windows once contained large statues, while the lower row of niches served as seats. Each niche has a little arch and gable over it, as if it were a door. This use of architectural motifs as decoration is called ‘micro-architecture’, and here it symbolically linked the people sitting in the lower niches to the sculpted saints standing in the upper niches.
There was very little late medieval Perpendicular style work at Ely. The transepts were given new angel roofs in c.1430, and the cloister was rebuilt c.1509-10. The most important work of this period, though, was the creation of two new chantry chapels at the east end of the 13th-century retrochoir.
Chantries were very popular in the late Middle Ages, as it was believed that having masses and prayers said for you after your death could reduce the amount of time your soul spent in Purgatory.
Bishop Alcock’s chantry in the north-east bay is dated c.1488. A forest of tabernacles with open-work spires, each originally containing a statue, guards the entrance, and inside is a fan vault.
At first glance Bishop West’s chantry of 1525-33 in the south-east bay seems much the same, if a bit simpler. On closer inspection, though, you can see that the vault is filled with early Renaissance motifs, newly imported from Italy. The Middle Ages were coming to an end and a new style of architecture was beginning.
Published: 2005-02-01
