The Church in Astley Abbots named after St. Calixtus (Grade II* Listed Building)

The church in the village of Astley Abbotts is dedicated to St. Calixtus who was a Bishop of Rome martyred in the 3rd century. Inside can be found the faded remains of a 'maiden's garland', a heart-shaped wooden frame decorated with gloves, cloth and ribbons. Such garlands were once the fashion to commemorate maidens who died before marriage. The one at Astley Abbotts has a ribbon-like piece of paper saying, in still legible handwriting, that it commemorates Hannah Phillips who drowned while crossing the Severn on the eve of her wedding.

Pope Saint Callixtus I or Callistus I, was pope from about 217 to about 222, during the reigns of the Roman Emperors Heliogabalus and Alexander Severus. He was martyred for his Christian faith and is a canonized saint of the Roman Catholic Church. (2009 views on Panoramio)