England

The Doom Painting of St Peter, Chaldon, Surrey

Visited in February 2023

pacoulmag, wuzmi

• 2 min read
The Doom Painting of St Peter, Chaldon, Surrey
Many texts have been written about this unique and well-preserved painting, the symbolism of hell and heaven is well represented with strong images, grimacing faces and ways to escape. The colours are a mix of yellow ochre and red ochre.
Painting on a unique wall, probably executed by travelling monks and dated around 1200

The ladder, probably symbolises the steps to heaven while the bottom of the ladder symbolises the descent into hell. The imagination of these monks is overflowing

The famous St Michael with his scale ready for the weighing of souls
Hell symbolised, the flame is powerful, there is even a character who feeds the fire

Some good heads of rather evil and scary personages

It is still possible to escape the flames of hell
The tree of knowledge is often depicted between Adam and Eve, as they made the choice between good and evil. A snake appears to be coiled at the top of the tree