Bishopstone PCC (Saint Andrew's Church, Bishopstone, East Sussex) would like to raise £1,500.00 for the commissioning of a bespoke traditional Icon of St Lewinna inclusive of installation costs to be displayed in the porch at St Andrew's church.St Lewinna is Sussex's only recorded female saint. History relates that as a young virgin she was slain by a heathen Saxon due to her Christian belief. She lived and died in the late 7th century during the see of Archbishop Theodore. This makes her one of the first Christian converts and possibly the first Christian martyr in Sussex. Her feast day is remembered and celebrated on the 24th July. In 1058, a monk from Flanders stole the sacred relics of St Lewinna from a minster church near Seaford. The most recent archaeological and historical evidence and research now supports the probability that the minster church was our very own St Andrew's here in Bishopstone."Drogo" a monk and prolific scribe at the abbey of St Winnoc, near Bergues, Flanders, left us a fascinating and detailed account of the theft of her relics and their relocation to his abbey. Drogo records that parchment sheets detailing St Lewinna's many miracles of healing were pinned on the chapel walls of the minster church surrounding her shrine - very likely in what is now our current church porch. He also tells us that some of her relics were left behind at St Andrew's during the theft at the behest of St Lewinna herself. She was venerated for a long period here and in Flanders.St Andrew's Bishopstone PCC, East Sussex, believes an Icon is the most fitting way for our local saint to be commemorated. Fine artist and iconographer, Merna Liddawi, has kindly accepted the commission to create the Icon of St Lewinna. Once sufficient funds have been raised and the Icon is completed, it will be installed with reverence and ceremony -- in honour of her Christian witness and in memory of her holiness and martyrdom. For some people, an icon is more than an object of commemoration; it can be a focus for personal prayer and deeper spiritual connection. Any funds raised above the target would be used to support the mission of the church, to serve the needs of the community and provide for essential repairs and improvements that will enhance the experience for all who visit.
