"Quietude"

St. Peter's Parish Church, Barbados.
 An original 16 x 20 acrylic painting by Mark Phillips

I hope everyone, had a peaceful Easter weekend. I tried to get some rest but was only partially successful. In an ideal world, I would have spent most of the time in my studio but this was not to be. The responsibilities of being a father, a husband and the general fix-it man around the house got in the way.

This piece was painted in January 2018. I was in Speightstown an early morning sometime late last year when I noticed for the first time this scene you see here. It was a holiday, and Church Street  was all but deserted. I was sitting in my vehicle waiting to meet a client and something caught my eye. 

Maybe it was the way the light was reflecting off of the building or the way the guard walls allowed for an almost perfect study of 2-point perspective. Whatever it was, I knew that I was going to paint it. I was not driving my vehicle so I did not have my camera. I therefore turned to my trusty cell phone and shot a few reference images.

To be honest, the photos were ugly. I exercised my poetic, (or is it artistic), licence and did not paint the mess of  utility wires and poles that threatened to spoil this serene scene. I was originally going to name this piece "Tranquility" or "Serenity" but as fate would have it I came across the word "Quietude". Up until that point, I did not know that word even existed! But it was a perfect fit. It sounded more religious, perfectly befitting one of the oldest churches in Barbados.

St. Peter was one of the six original parishes and its first church was built in 1629. The second church was built 36 years later and a third church followed in 1837. This church was built in an essentially Georgian style with its square bell tower. St. Peter’s Parish Church was one of the three churches in Barbados which survived the hurricane of 1780, along with St. Andrew's Parish Church and All Saint's Chapel. This parish church however, was not so lucky when the hurricane of 1831 struck the island. The church was destroyed and by 1837 it was again rebuilt and consecrated.

This third church survived well into the twentieth century but then on April 21^st, 1980 tragedy struck and the church was largely destroyed by fire. The church building sustained damage primarily to the interior with the exterior walls and the tower escaping much of the damage. The church was rebuilt and subsequently restored to its former glory with one marked exception. The large bell that was previously housed in the church's clock tower could not be returned to its former location and so the bell is now housed on the outside of the church building, under a gazebo-like structure. 

Although St. Peter's Parish Church is one of the oldest churches in Barbados, because of the many tragedies faced by this church no early records have managed to survive. Despite this lack of a traditional written history however, one only has to take a stroll through the grounds of the church and even the interior of the church itself to be able to witness first-hand the history on which this church is grounded. 

On entering this edifice, the first thing that catches the eye, is the inscription which is positioned directly above the altar, "This is none other than the House of God and this is the Gate of Heaven Alleluia" this quote, carved in stone as it were, lends to the sacred feel of the church and coupled with the many elaborately carved plaques that date back to the seventeen hundreds, proclaim St. Peter’s Parish Church in Barbados as a treasure trove of historical finds. 

Some other examples can be found in the ornately carved pulpit inscribed with the words "Given to the Glory of God by Little John in memory of his mother" while the baptismal font at the back of the church bears the inscription "The Gift of John Sober Esq. to the Parish of Saint Peter 1767", even the bell which is now mounted outside in the churchyard bears the inscription "St. Peter's 1827".

It was my honour to paint this remarkable Barbadian Parish Church, this true piece of Barbadian history.

As always, thank you for reading. Until next time when I will share some more of my work and a little of the history of this blessed place that I am privileged to call home,  please leave a comment.  And, I will really appreciate if you share this post with your friends. And to make sure that you don't miss any future posts, Please enter your email address in the subscribe by email box on the right. 


Mark Phillips
Artist
Email:- mark@phillipsbajanart.com
Website:- www.phillipsbajanart.com
Online Store:- PhillipsArtStore