196 EVOLUTION OF THE COUNTRY CHURCHES. 



them, were built and at a late period. This is my opinion 

 and my reason for this is that no sign of a joint in the western 

 walls can be found, and it is reasonable to suppose the whole 

 was built at one time, and it is not likely that the extension to 

 the north aisle would have been built before the aisle itself. I 

 know there are those who see in the rude doorways evidence of 

 very early work, but I cannot see that this deduction can be 

 borne out by the evidence before us. 



The building of the excrescences, in the form of a north 

 porch, and the part now used as a Vestry completed the plan. 



This Church occupies a very conspicuous position, looking 

 over the flat part of the Island northward of St. Peter-Port. As 

 one approaches the Vale by the Route Militaire or the Coast road 

 from Noirmont it stands up in front as a landmark, and when 

 the Braye du Valle was an arm of the sea, and the Pont Colliche 

 was not to be found in the fading light, it must have been a very 

 acceptable beacon to the traveller of olden days. The slight 

 eminence on which it stands emphasizes this, not so much from 

 its height, as it is only about 30 feet above high watermark, as 

 from its want of surroundings to mark it. 



As might be expected from its monastic treatment, this 

 Church is full of interesting features. The Chancel itself would 

 occupy an article to describe properly ; but the sins of omission 

 and commission on the part of the monks may be mentioned. 

 When they cut out the original eastern wall to make way 

 for the present Chancel Arch, they either neglected to 

 provide for the weight and thrust of the arch, or else 

 the building was negligently carried out in the founda- 

 tions or the walls. Whatever the reason something untoward 

 happened, with the result that the whole of the front 

 portion of the Chancel was at one time in danger of collapse, 

 necessitating the provision of two very solid and unsightly 

 buttresses to save the unique Chancel from utter ruin. 

 These buttresses served their purpose and averted the threatened 

 catastrophe. The result of the movement of the arch is very 

 apparent in the Church. The groining of the western compart- 

 ment has been so affected that the ribs at their meeting point are 

 displaced to the extent of about a foot ; the sedilia on the 

 southern wall are sensibly out of perpendicular ; and the Chancel 

 arch itself has dropped so much in the centre that it is more of 

 an oval than a circle, seen from the west doorway. Curiously 

 enough, all the thrust of the archway has been to the south, the 

 north walls not being affected. If there was any settlement on 

 that side, all trace of it was obliterated when the north Chancel 

 was built ; but a close examination has not revealed any signs of 

 this, and hence it would appear that the collapse threatened after 

 the north aisle had been completed. 



There are three piscinae in this Church. The one in the 



