The Chaldon Doom Painting is one of Britain’s most extraordinary and oldest surviving wall murals, but it had been hidden for about 700 years.
It is tucked inside the Church of St Peter and St Paul in Chaldon, Surrey, and dates back to about 1170 AD.
But the painting, which depicts the biblical day of judgement, was painted over during the Puritan era when such imagery was deemed “popish” and distracting. The artwork was later rediscovered in about 1870.
Current vicar Rev Helen Burnett told Secret Surrey: “You see different things in it depending on where you are in your own head and heart.”
The upper half of the art shows the ladder of salvation, where souls climb toward heaven, guided by angels and judged by Christ.
The lower half depicts a hellish landscape showing the seven deadly sins, with demons boiling sinners in cauldrons, sawing them in half, and dragging them down into torment.
“It’s a blessing in some ways because it draws people in. Many people visit from all over the world,” Ms Burnett added.
“It’s also a burden because you have to look after it.
“There’s many layers to how to use it, and sometimes I just suddenly realise there’s something really hopeful about that ladder for instance.”
