Anglo-Saxon Interlace | St. Gregory's Minster

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Late Anglian or Anglo-Scandinavian carved interlace art adorns the exterior east face of St. Gregory's Minster in Kirkdale, North Yorkshire. This intricate artwork is likely a fractured remnant of a late Anglo-Saxon period cross shaft or grave marker, repurposed when the church was rebuilt from ruin in 1060 or 15th Century. An earlier church stood on this site, but was abandoned for unknown reasons by the 11th Century. According to the exceptional Saxon sundial also decorating this church, Orm son of Gamal 'had it made anew from the ground to Christ and St. Gregory, in Edward's days, the king, and in Tosti's days, the Earl' around 1060. The wall fabric of the building incorporates at least three A-S cross shafts, the sundial (a promising future project), and inside lie two 8th Century grave slabs. Scandinavian influence was certainly present in this area; the question remains how much: could some early graves here contain non-Anglian newcomers to Christianity?