This guidebook is no longer available from the church, so here is a transcription over the next few weeks.
A Guidebook to St John in the Oaks Jersey – Part 1
Introduction
The Parish Church of St. John has, over the centuries,
served as a focal point and meeting place for Christian worship. The story
began two thousand years ago with the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ. The history, therefore, is not simply of stone and mortar, but of
generations of people.
It is a living history whose story continues as, day by day,
new pages are written as the people of God in this place seek to reflect His
love and respond to the needs of the world. The words of our mission statement
express a desire to be active, visible and relevant.
John's Church strives to be a beacon of faith and a focal
point of the community where people grow together in God's love. The vitality
of our corporate life finds its expression not only through regular Sunday
services, but additionally through a wide range of groups, including Alpha
courses, bell ringers, children's and youth groups, choir, crèche, midweek home
groups, missionary support, mums and tots and prayer meetings.
The Parish Church of St. John is alive and has a fascinating
history which we hope you will enjoy reading about in the following pages and
whose peace you will experience as you explore this beautiful building. As you walk
and read, think also, ponder the faith which built it and sustains it still.
Remember!
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever."
A Profile down the Ages
The Parish Church of St. John is dedicated-to-St John the
Baptist, so our symbol is the Paschal Lamb, which you will see etched in glass
in the tympanum in the entrance porch. The Pascal Lamb reminds us that
St. John pointed to his cousin, Christ, and said: "Behold
the Lamb of God". However, we have also adopted the Parish crest the
Maltese Cross, the emblem of the Knights of St. John at Jerusalem (the Knights
Hospitallers). Badges were designed for each Parish to commemorate the visit of
King George V and Queen Mary in 1921. The original crests were designed by Mr.
A. G. Wright, assisted by Major Rybot, who then redesigned them in 1923.
The stylised Maltese Cross is set on a green background to
recognise the name of the Church in the Middle Ages (Saint Jean des Chenes, or
St. John in the Oaks). We believe that the Church was called "in the oaks"
because it stood in a grove of oak trees. As St. John is the Established Church
in the Parish, it seems right that the Paschal Lamb (the ecclesiastical symbol),
should stand alongside the Maltese Cross (the municipal symbol).
Although the first documentary evidence for our Church is to
be found in a charter of the Abbey of St. Sauveur-le-Vicomte in Normandy, dated
1150, it is highly likely that a Christian place of worship had existed on this
site from the 8th century onwards or even earlier. (Archbishop Theodore of
Canterbury had begun setting up parishes in England in the 7th century
and it is fair to assume that the Bishop of Coutances would have done the same
for the Island of Jersey.)
During the Middle Ages there were also four small chapels in
the Parish: the Priory Chapel of St. Mary at Bonne Nuit, the Chapel of St.
Blaise in the Fief Chesnel near Fremont, the Chantry Chapel of St. Etienne (Stephen)
at Chestnut Grove and the Manorial Chapel of la Hougue Bouete (now known as St.
John's Manor).
From the churchyard, it was originally thought, ran the
Perquage or sanctuary path, by which criminals who had taken sanctuary in the
Church were allowed to escape to Bonne Nuit Bay to the North using a track near
the Chapel of St. Blaise.
However, research now suggests that the Perquage probably
ran in the opposite direction to the South coast of the Island.
On St. John the Baptist's Day, (Midsummer's Day, 24th June)
our Patronal Festival was observed with much junketing and the parish hosted
the largest fair in the Island. However, excessive enthusiasm and
over-conviviality led to the suppression of this annual entertainment at the
end of the 18th century.
The oldest part of the present Church is the Lady Chapel,
formerly the original chancel. The exterior masonry, renewed in Victorian times
(1853) hides the Norman shell, although the doubleau (internal roof supporting
vault) indicates its great age. About 100 years after the Norman Conquest, the
spire was added and there are signs that a porch or side chapel (transept)
existed to the South. In the 13th century a nave (the present South aisle) was
constructed and the corbels for a rood beam can still be seen.
Unfortunately, around 1610 a storm damaged the top of the
spire, which probably fell on the Nave, consequently leading to the rebuilding
of both the nave and the spire.
During the 15th century, a splendid North chapel (now the
main chancel) was built to the glory of God.
The East window, above the altar, retains the original
flamboyant tracery which suggests that the four major lights are candles.
The last stages in structure can be found in the North Aisle
(now the main Nave) which was put up around 1525. Some of the dating of the
fabric is conjectural because down the centuries portions would be taken down,
repaired or replaced and rebuilt on existing foundations, often obscuring
earlier work. However it is true to say that the Church, as we know it, is
witness both to the skill of stonemasons and to the worship of parishioners over
many centuries.
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