St Laurence Church, Stroud - Chancel Ceiling
The Chancel ceiling is decorated with 56 decorated panels each approximately 3 feet wide and four feet long. Each of the panels displays one of the five symbols shown below. The symbols are decorated in gold leaf. The ceiling was cleaned and repaired in 2001. It is believed that the original decoration was painted in the early 1900's.
This
is Alpha and Omega, the first and last letters of the Greek Alphabet.
Jesus is described as the alpha and omega - the beginning and the end
of all things. Nothing and nobody is outside the reach of his love
The
crown is a symbol of the triumph of the martyrs, who like St Laurence,
were victorious over death and are given a crown of glory by Christ who
is himself the King of Love.
These
are the first three letters in Greek of the title Christ, which means
the chosen one of God
SL
stand for Saint Laurence, and the Gridiron - a kind of barbecue - is a
symbol of Saint Laurence. He was killed for his Christian faith by being
barbecued alive.
These
are the first three letters in Greek
(the language the New Testament was written in)
of the name Jesus, which means Saviour
(the language the New Testament was written in)
of the name Jesus, which means Saviour