The Hour of The Wolf

St. Andrew's Parish Church
A 11 x 14 acrylic painting by Mark Phillips

I know you are all wondering what in the name of all that is holy does St. Andrew's Parish Church have to do with "the hour of the wolf".

To explain the connection, we need to go back to 1984. I was a young soldier in The Barbados Defence Force and we were on a one week training exercise in Walker's St. Andrew.

Firstly, according to Ingmar Bergman, the hour of the wolf is;"The hour between night and dawn. The hour when most people die, when sleep is deepest, when nightmares are most real. It is the hour when the sleepless are haunted by their deepest fears, when ghost and demons are most powerful, the hour of the wolf is also the hour when most children are born." -From Ingmar Bergman's Film HOUR OF THE WOLF (Trailer)...

It was a chilly morning just before dawn. The sky was just starting to lighten in the East and the mist off the sea was creating a somewhat eerie scene. I was part of a 2 man patrol and we were to rendezvous with the other members of our section at a point very close to the church. We were fist to arrive and we settled down in a bush out of sight a few yards from the church. 

Now, you must understand that we had been out most of the night and we had walked quite a few miles. We were hungry and we were tired. As I sat there looking at the church wall you see in the painting, I thought I saw a blurry form go over the wall into the churchyard. It wasn't even a form, it was just a movement' like something you catch from the corner of your eye but you weren't sure it was real.

I was about to dismiss it as my imagination fueled by fatigue and hunger, when I saw it again. I immediately looked at my partner in the dim light of the approaching dawn and I realised that he had seen something too. I whispered, "Did you see that?" He shook his head in the affirmative. "What the hell was that?", I said earnestly. He calmly turned to me and said, "those are the spirits of the dead returning to their graves before sunrise." I was speechless! This was insane... But... I had seen it with my own eyes! Not once but twice! I was 20 years old at the time and my partner was an experienced soldier much older that I was and here he was as cool as ever, telling me that spirits roam this land at night and return to their graves before dawn. At the "hour of the wolf".

That was over 30 years ago and I have never forgotten that night. As recently as 2 weeks ago, I drove past the church and I remember that morning like it was yesterday. When I decided to paint a collection of Barbadian Churches in 2018, the first one I painted was this one. You would realise that I had not given it a clever name. This Church is special to me. This church was where I understood that there is more to our existence on this mortal plain than I had before believed. About 10 years later, I witnessed another incident during a funeral at another church that further opened my mind, but that is a story for another day and another painting!

It is not clear if the building known as St. Andrew's Parish Church (established in 1630) actually survived the hurricane that ravaged the island of Barbados in 1780; some accounts state that it was one of the churches reduced to 'ruinous condition' while others state that it had indeed survived. In any case, this majestic church was one of the three churches that did survive the great hurricane of 1831 but it soon fell into a state of disrepair and was slated for demolition in 1842. The knocking down of this church building brought a public outcry from the people of Barbados and the church was subsequently rebuilt in 1846. That is the building that you see here today. This beautiful Barbadian Church, like many others on the island, very closely resembles a traditional, English church with its Gothic inspired architecture and square tower.

Let me apologise for not posting anything over the last few days. Unfortunately, I was ridiculously busy with my "day job". I was working 18 hour days and today Sunday, I finally finished the project and got home about 6 pm. But, as my youngest daughter always says, "You got to go make that cheddar". At least I can afford to buy paints and canvases now! I leave you with this thought;

 “A house is never still in darkness to those who listen intently; there is a whispering in distant chambers, an unearthly hand presses the window, the latch rises. Ghosts were created when the first man woke in the night.” — J.M. Barrie

Rest in peace tonight everyone... Or maybe not!

As always, thank you for reading. I appreciate the comments and the kind words of encouragement. 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. 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