Random Thoughts & Shots from the Reinterment Week

Cutest photobomb ever :)

I was going through all the photos that I took on my trip & decided to post a few random ones that I took here & there.  The above shot is from Sunday at Bosworth Battlefield.  We were really early, on the first bus, & the volunteer guiding us had this amazing standard (which was not for sale in the gift shop--boooo). She held it out so we could take pictures of it & was I surprised to see this little cutie show up in my photo! I didn't see her when I took the picture, but there she was.

Here are some various photos that I took in & around St. Mary de Castro, where Richard's father was knighted.

Chapel with Richard's picture in it.

I told myself to write down why this chapel has a connection to Richard, but nooo. But it does & it's important enough for the church to let you know that. Ah well, next time....

I love seeing how the sun makes the colors from stained glass shine inside churches.  St. Mary de Castro is essentially two churches in one: one side for the nobility & the other side was for the commoners (back in the day when John of Gaunt was around).  Now the wall separating the sanctuaries has been taken down & replaced with pillars, so the church is open to all.

Main Altar in the Royal side of the Church

Stained glass colors shining on the stone work

There are only three of these guys decorating the pews of the church:

Green Man (Victorian Era carving)

Spring flowers in the churchyard

St. Mary de Castro

The Tree of Life, a gorgeous artwork commissioned by Holy Cross Priory for the Requiem Mass celebrated there. I was lucky & shown to a seat in the Lady Chapel, which had a direct view of the main altar. As a result, I had my eyes on the vestment from Richard's royal wardrobe all night long. It is so beautiful & a miracle that it survived & was in good enough condition to use. I didn't get a photo of it because you're not supposed to take pictures during religious services.  But fortunately, I was able to get a photo of the Tree of Life afterward. It was especially commissioned by Holy Cross Priory for the Requiem Mass.

Tree of Life

Another of the original misericords from Fotheringhay Church. I'm pretty sure Richard also saw & touched this one. A rather "interesting" carving to put in a church, huh?

Unusual Misericord

Still not a fan of the blond wig on the facial reconstruction. If they went just a little bit darker (& curlier), it would be a lot more accurate.

Blondie doesn't look that bad in this light

Stood in line for 3 hours, but it was worth it to be one of the first to see Richard's tomb in place.

Richard's tomb & motto

Window that shines on Richard's tomb

The screen separating Richard's tomb from the main sanctuary

And a side view of what I call the "Everything is Awesome!" chair.

View of the screen & chapel beyond from the main sanctuary

I find it interesting that a month later, & I'm still thinking back to this week & everything I did, all the people I met, the experiences we shared.  From looking at my Facebook feed, I'm not the only one. But the week was an important one for those of us who went. We were part of something unique that will never happen again, so I guess it makes sense that we're all still thinking about it.