{"id":43585,"date":"2021-08-28T10:38:53","date_gmt":"2021-08-28T05:08:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/districtchronicles.com\/historical-tales-behind-terrifying-statues-and-the-medieval-art-of-death\/"},"modified":"2021-08-28T10:39:02","modified_gmt":"2021-08-28T05:09:02","slug":"historical-tales-behind-terrifying-statues-and-the-medieval-art-of-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/districtchronicles.com\/historical-tales-behind-terrifying-statues-and-the-medieval-art-of-death\/","title":{"rendered":"Historical tales behind terrifying statues and the medieval art of death"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Cathedrals and cemeteries across the UK are filled with imagery relating to death and mortality.<\/p>\n

From the carved angels standing watch over graves to the chubby cherubs sighing skywards, these symbols of mortality have been around since medieval times.<\/p>\n

In the middle of the 14th century, Britain was facing tremendous strain due to the devasting floods and diseases that it faced. Furthermore, there had been a massive outbreak of crime that came in the wake of the Great Famine (1315-1317).<\/p>\n

This led to swift political upheaval and two decades after the famine, King Edward III argued his right to the French throne and launched England into the punishing slog of the Hundred Years\u2019 War (1337-1453).<\/p>\n

In the midst of the war, a sailor arriving in Weymouth brought a devasting blow to Britain by bringing in the Black Death.<\/p>\n

The plague spread rapidly throughout the British Isles, and within a year around half of the population – particularly in busy cities – had succumbed to the disease.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s estimated that between 75-200 million people across Europe, Africa and Asia died in the years 1346 to 1353. It remains the most fatal pandemic in human history.<\/p>\n

Terrifying paintings<\/b><\/p>\n

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\nThe Three Dead confronting the Three Living at St Andrew\u2019s, Wickhampton<\/span>
\n (Image: Brokentaco)<\/span>
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<\/reach-mpu> <\/reach-adyoulike> <\/p>\n

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