St Edmund was an Anglo-Saxon Christian king who ruled East Anglia in the 9th century. He was killed in battle by Danish invaders. Legend has it Edmund was captured alive; whipped and lashed while tied to a tree, then shot with arrows and decapitated...

#StEdmundsDay #thread

His head was cast away in the forest. A grey wolf guarded it. Some of Edmund's supporters found the head of the king, which miraculously reunited with his body, was then buried in a small chapel ...

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In 2011, at St Mary's, Mundon, Essex we found St Edmund's head all over again.
During repairs, a section of plaster was removed revealing the crowned king. He is in three-quarter profile; outlined in red; his hair painted red; his eyes black.
Danes shoot arrows at him.

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Behind the saint are vestiges of a bow, hand and arrow: the bow outlined in black; the arrow and hand in red. Facing him are the remains of two hooded figures in profile, the nearest is shooting another arrow.

In the 1970s, St Mary's, Mundon was to be demolished - if it didn't collapse first. If it had, we would never have known that St Edmund's martyrdom played out on the walls.

There is still so much to discover and learn about this country's churches.

Photos: Mundon then and now.