Garway is one of my favourite churches . I have rarely entered a church with such a beautiful feeling of peace and 'oneness' with the spirit of the place.A place of contemplation where time stands still and the outside world seems very far away .
The ceiling in the nave is decorated with twenty four, six pointed stars.
Garway is one of six churches built in England by the Knights Templar . Little remains now of the circular church, the remains of which are buried beneath the present church . A local resident told me that some years ago there was strong feeling amongst people in the community that the ruins of the Templar church should be covered up and forgotten. I asked her why ? She said she didn't know . Was it because for some reason the work involved in keeping this small area was considered too much trouble ? This seems very unlikely given the area exposed is so small. I wonder if for some reasons best known to themselves certain people didn't want an acknowledgement or memory of the Templar presence . This , if so is to deny history, to cover important archaeological remains and project personal prejudices into altering the history and memory of this beautiful place .
Even earlier than the Templar church there is said to have been a religious presence on the site from the end of the sixth century although nothing remains of any earlier structures and presumably this first 'church' would have been a wooden structure.
The tower dates to 1180 and is thought to have been a defensive structure separate from the main body of the church at that date
I approached the church and walked around the exterior , taking in the landscape and the spirit of the place including the now dried up well , from which local lore says that Templars once took water .
The well is still visited as a place of contemplation although whether or not any memory of it now as a Holy or Healing well remains is something I need to look into further .
As I walked around the church yard the sense of beauty and peace was overwhelming. I came across a small bunch of flowers left beside the path , a small offering to all who were buried there ? If so it was a lovely gesture
On entering the church I wasn't prepared for the simple beauty in the architecture , the play on the senses both visual and emotional . The atmosphere was simply beautiful .
To me this felt like a place were the distant past was still very much present . Pagan, pre-Christian call it what you will mingles with a Christian past and present and all souls are welcome there . I believe many souls are present in this place happily welcoming us to join them in their peaceful place .
This is a place where the veil between worlds is so thin there is no real division to stand within these walls is to take that journey from present to past in the most lovely way.
A place to go and wander, connect, stand, contemplate and come away with a sense of great peace
This is somewhere I will be visiting again and researching in much more depth from a perspective of folklore and pilgrimage . I also hope to collect local stores and learn more about the hidden histories of Garway Church .
If we do not seek we do not find - open the door to the past and enter.....
Through the Thin Veil
