Yeovil's Virtual Museum

the Black Halos

in St John's church

 

The parish church of St John the Baptist has long been known as the 'Lantern of the West' because of the superb, large windows which admit such a flood of light. The windows are an early example of fully developed Perpendicular Gothic with the tracery of the Reticulated Transitional Perpendicular style, dating to between 1380 and about 1400. The window glass is chiefly Victorian - see here.

The south window of the south transept was inserted in 1862 as a memorial to John Greenham and his wife Elizabeth from their children. It cost £210 (around £130,000 at today's value) and depicts the Last Supper. This window portrays Judas Iscariot with a black halo.

The east window was inserted in 1863 showing scenes from the Passion and here too Judas is represented with a black halo - a feature thought to be unique to St John's church.

 

 

Judas Iscariot and the black halo.