Church of St Catherine, Montacute
| Church of St Catherine, Montacute | |
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 Church of St Catherine, Montacute
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| 50°56′59″N 2°43′04″W / 50.94972°N 2.71778°WCoordinates: 50°56′59″N 2°43′04″W / 50.94972°N 2.71778°W | |
| Location | Montacute, Somerset |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Catherine of Alexandria |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Active |
| Functional status | Parish Church |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 19 April 1961 |
| Years built | 12th century |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Parish of Montacute |
| Deanery | Deanery of Yeovil |
| Archdeaconry | Archdeaconry of Wells |
| Diocese | Diocese of Bath and Wells |
| Province | Province of Canterbury |
| Clergy | |
| Priest in charge | The Revd Peter Thomas |
| Assistant priest(s) | The Revd Annie Gurner |
The Anglican Church of St Catherine at Montacute within the English county of Somerset was first built in the 12th century. It is a Grade II* listed building.
Montacute has had religious significance since the discover of a stone crucifix in 1035. St Catherine's was built in association with the Cluniac Montacute Priory becoming the parish church after the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Much of the fabric of the current church is from its extension in the 13th century and the tower is from the 15th. It was restored in the Victorian period. The church has tombs and memorials to the Phelips family, of Montacute House.
It is not known when the first church was built on the site, however it was before 1035 when a black crucifix or Holy Rood was discovered within the grounds of the manor owned by Tofig. He loaded the life-sized cross onto a cart, and he then named a series of possible destinations owned by him. The oxen pulling the wagon (six red and six white in one version of the tale) refused to move until he said Waltham in Essex, where Tofig already had a hunting lodge. They then started, and continued non-stop until they reached Waltham, and where they stopped Tofig decided to build an abbey at the site – this became Waltham Abbey. In the mean time, Tofig rebuilt the church at Waltham to house the cross, on which he bestowed his own sword, and his second wife Gytha (or Glitha), the daughter of Osgod Clapa, adorned the figure with a crown, bands of gold and precious stones. The cross became the object of pilgrimage, notably by Harold Godwinson. It was at Tofig's wedding at Lambeth on 8 June 1042 that King Harthacnut suddenly died of a convulsion "while standing at his drink". "Holy Cross" became the battle-cry of Harold's armies at the battles of Stamford Bridge and Hastings. The Holy Rood is said to have foretold Harold's defeat at Hastings: on the way there from the Battle of Stamford Bridge he stopped off at Waltham Abbey to pray, and the legend is that the cross "bowed down" off the wall as he did so, taken as a portent of doom.
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Wikipedia