Memento Mori - Churches and Churchyards of England
Introduction
‘While I thought that I was learning how to live, I have been learning how to die.’
Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519
There is but one certainty in life—that we will all die. And all around us, in the churches and churchyards of England, are reminders of this inescapable fact in the form of simple stone gravestones, weird gargoyles, fantastically ornate carved memorials and glowing stained-glass windows. they all seem to proclaim Memento mori—the Latin for 'remember you will die'.
Simon Marsden, who has gained worldwide renown for his evocative photography, has always been fascinated by English churches and churchyards and their funereal art and monuments. So, on his most recent tour of the country, he selected his favourite examples to photograph—and this book is the result. The use of colour images combined with his distinictive black-and-white photographs adds an effective dimension to his work. Each atmospheric illustration is accompanied by a poem, prose extract, anecdote or epitaph that appropriately complements the photography.
The book manages to convey many emotions in both the images and text and makes the subject of Death intriguing, inspiring and somehow beautiful.
Published in:
- England by English Heritage Publications, October 2007.
Hardback only copies are available through The Marsden Archive priced at £25 signed and £20 unsigned. Click here to order. No more than 2 copies of each book is available to purchase at one time.
