Saint Saviour's Church

The site of St Saviour’s Church originally comprised four separate chapels owned by different families and served by different priests, although by 1145 they had amalgamated into one church. The present church was completely refurbished in 1901. Henry Thomas Bosdet is buried near the North wall of the churchyard, his grave having been restored in recent years by The Glass Rainbow Trust. The legendary “Jersey Lily”, Lillie Langtry, whose father was Dean of Jersey and Rector of St Saviour, is also buried here.

The church contains four Bosdet windows and a reredos also painted by him.

Christ the Light of the World
Jesus the Bread of Life

A double window. In the left-hand panel, Jesus, in a striking magenta robe and crowned with thorns, holds a lantern in his right hand, under a canopy of flowering and fruiting brambles. The right-hand panel shows Jesus wearing a rich red and blue cope and holding a flat loaf of bread in his left hand. His right hand is raised in blessing and He stands under a canopy of roses.

Two smaller panels above depict brambles and roses. A third panel shows an angel holding a scroll bearing the text: “The Gentiles shall come to thy light” (Isaiah 60, v.3).

  • Position: South wall, in the chancel
  • Biblical ref: John 8, v.12 & John 6, vv. 30-58
  • Signature: H.T Bosdet, Grove Park Terrace, Chiswick
  • Memorial inscription: "To the Glory of God and in memory of John Gibaut, born MDCCCXXI (1821), Died MDCCCLXXXVII (1887). Given by his widow Blanche Gibaut."

The Man of Sorrows
The Good Shepherd

A double window. Left-hand panel. Under a canopy of flowering and fruiting brambles and passion-flowers, Christ stands forlorn, wearing a crown of thorns and holding a reed in his bound hands. The right-hand panel shows Christ holding a shepherd’s crook and carrying a lamb on his left arm. He is surrounded by sheep, under a canopy of roses.

There are three smaller lights above, two of which depict brambles and roses. The third shows St John the Divine as an old man with a red halo. He holds a rod from which flies a scroll bearing his words from the Book of Revelation: “I saw and bore record that this is the Son of God” (Revelation 1, v.34).

  • Position: South wall, in the choir
  • Biblical ref: Matthew 27, vv. 27-31 & John 10, vv.1-18 and Psalm 23
  • Memorial inscription: "Presented by Evelina Maria Voisin, in memory of her parents John and Anne Falle of La Chasse in this Parish MDCCCCV (1905)."

The Annunciation

A double window. On the left, the Archangel Gabriel, with flaming halo and lily in his right hand, greets the Virgin Mary. On the right, the Virgin Mary is seated, head inclined with eyes downcast. Above her flies the dove of the Holy Ghost. A view of Nazareth can be seen through the bars of the window behind the Virgin Mary. Both the angel and Mary are surmounted by Gothic canopies.

High above, there are four small decorative panels. A fifth panel shows an angel with the text: “Behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.” (Luke 1, v.48)

  • Position: West wall, above the porch
  • Biblical ref: Luke 1, vv. 26-38
  • Signature: No Signature. The Ecclesiastical Court granted a faculty for the installation of this window on 7th October 1907
  • Memorial inscription: "To the Glory of God and in memory of John Fauvel of this parish."

St Martin of Tours

A double window. The window portrays a famous incident in the early life of St Martin, who became Bishop of Tours in 370 AD and was one of the great figures in the development of French monasticism. On the left, Martin, in medieval costume and wearing spurs, cuts his cloak with his sword. Behind him rise the roofs, walls and towers of the city of Tours. In the right-hand panel, two beggars face St Martin. The first, a young man, is kneeling with arms outstretched, ready to receive part of the cloak. Behind him stands a blind man, supporting himself upon a crutch. The figures stand under canopies of Gothic architecture.

There are two small decorative panels of glass above. Two others show angels with scrolls bearing the biblical text: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25, v.21) The whole is dominated by a fifth panel depicting a bishop’s mitre and an heraldic tower, symbolising the bishopric of Tours.

  • Position: West wall, over the northwest door
  • Signature: The Ecclesiastical Court granted a faculty for the installation of this window on 7th October 1907.
  • Memorial inscription: There is no memorial inscription but, according to F. de l’Isle Bois in his book “The Parish of St Saviour” (Phillimore 1976), this window is probably the gift of William Dolbel and his sisters.

A painted reredos representing the Nativity

The reredos, painted in Pre-Raphaelite style, is divided into three parts. The centre panel depicts the Holy Family, with Mary holding the Christ Child standing on her knees. The panel on the left shows the adoration of the Magi and the right-hand panel represents the arrival of the shepherds. The figures and buildings are all painted against a gilded background.

  • Position: Behind the high altar
  • Biblical ref: Luke 2, vv.1-20 & Matthew 2, vv.1-12
  • Signature: Each of the three panels bears Bosdet’s signature and the date 1907.

Photo Album

See our collection of photos from this location at the photo-sharing website Flickr.