Condicote [Church]

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St Nicholas' Church

The Parish church of St Nicholas has stood on this site for over 800 years. A mixture of architectural styles, parts of the building date back to Norman times, and perhaps even older. Rumour has it that it stands on the site of a Roman building, but this has never been proven.

Services are held every Sunday, normally starting at 9.30am

The Parish of Condicote is part of the Diocese of Gloucester

Click here to view details about graves and the churchyard

The following was written by Mark Smith who lives in the village...

"The church of St. Nicholas in Condicote is justly famous for its picturesque setting, the tasteful simplicity of its construction, and the elegance of some features of its external decoration, for example, the three string-courses, each with a distinct pattern, which run across the western gable end. But there is much of interest to see and admire inside the church as well. Here are just a few things for which you might look out on your next visit.

1) The south doorway
Now concealed by a Victorian porch, this doorway was built in the 12th Century and is one of the oldest preserved parts of the church. The tympanum, or area immediately above the entrance itself, is richly ornamented with three different patterns, some of which can also be seen on the chancel arch inside. Above the tympanum is a double arch supported by columns. The outer part of this displays zigzag or chevron ornament, the inner part cable and bead moulding. St. Nicholas is one of many Cotswold churches with an elaborately carved Norman doorway. The southern entrance was the main one, through which the entire congregation would pass, and so particular care and effort were expended to make it beautiful.

2) Earlier stone fragments incorporated in the porch
As you stand in front of the doorway, turn left and look for a group of fragments of carved stone set high into the west wall of the porch. These provide interesting clues as to how the church may have appeared in earlier periods. The one on the far left preserves a section of a 12th Century string-course resembling the one on the east wall of the nave, or body, of the church, from which it may have come. Alternatively, it may have formed part of the decoration of another wall no longer in existence, both north and south walls of the nave having been extensively rebuilt in the 14th and 15th Centuries. The stone immediately to its right, and possibly some of the others as well, may have come from a subsidiary door, again no longer in existence, on the north side of the church opposite the main entrance. This would have been employed for processional and other ceremonial purposes during the liturgy and on feast days. See how much you can identify of the figures carved on this stone.

3) Windows
Among the windows in the church, some are of considerable interest. Immediately opposite the entrance, in the north wall of the nave, is a 15th Century window with three lights or sections. These are trefoil-headed; in other words, the tracery at the top of each light is carved into the shape of a three-lobed leaf. This window has been moved to its present position from another part of the church , having originally been placed in the east wall of the chancel. From the 13th Century onwards, it was a common practice to insert three tall narrow lancet windows in this wall to symbolise the Holy Trinity. The three lights of the window which once occupied the east chancel wall of St. Nicholas probably shared this symbolism. It was replaced by the pair of round-headed windows now visible above the altar in 1888.
The finest window in the church is the large perpendicular window in the south wall of the nave. This dates to the 15th Century as well. The term ‘perpendicular’ refers to the pattern of stonework in the upper part of the window. The mullions are extended up to the top, where they are intersected at right angles by horizontal elements of tracery, thus creating a grid effect. The perpendicular style allowed the dimensions of windows to be greatly increased, thus allowing for greater illumination within church buildings. Notice the small pedestal for a statue on the left side of the window.
A careful look around the interior walls of the chancel will reveal a number of blocked up windows in addition to those still in use. See how many you can locate. Just below the large window on the south wall is a blocked up low side-window, the alcove of which is now used for storing books and other objects. Originally, this would have been closed with shutters. During Mass, the shutters would be opened and a bell rung at the window at key moments of the liturgy so that those outside the church could hear and respond with due reverence. An earlier idea that some low side- windows were inserted in church walls to enable lepers to follow the service (hence the term ‘lepers’ window’ found in some early descriptions of St. Nicholas) has been discredited."