Miraculous Beam
The legend of the miraculous beam dates to the early 12th century. The story is that a beam was found to have been cut too short when it was hoisted into place. This would have been embarrassing for the carpenters since the wood was expensive and would be difficult to replace. There was however a mysterious carpenter who had worked and eaten alone. The day following the discovery, when the carpenters returned they found the beam was in place and it now fitted. The unknown carpenter was never seen again, and the story came to be that it was Jesus Christ who had intervened. The church became Christ’s Church of Twynham in commemoration of the event. In time the town became Twynham-Christchurch and eventually shortened to Christchurch. The beam can be seen today and is located in the Priory’s Ambulatory.
Read more about this topic: Christchurch Priory
Famous quotes containing the words miraculous and/or beam:
“Don’t they know that God gave them
their miraculous sickness
like a shield, like armor
and if their eyes are in the wrong
part of their heads, they shouldn’t complain?
What are they doing seeing their doctors
when the world’s up for grabs.”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)
“It was at that moment, just after Krug had fallen through the bottom of a confused dream and sat up on the straw with a gasp—and just before his reality, his remembered hideous misfortune could pounce upon him—it was then that I felt a pang of pity for Adam and slid towards him along an inclined beam of pale light—causing instantaneous madness, but at least saving him from the senseless agony of his logical fate.”
—Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977)