A speculative digital reconstruction of the early sixteenth-century chancel or rood screen of St Mary's parish church in Youghal, Ireland. Nothing remains of the screen today, which was probably removed during the Reformation (1540-1560). A small fragment of decorated timber was discovered under the church's floor during recent archaeological investigations, which may have belonged to the screen. The rood screen, loft, and the mural painting above it in this reconstruction are influenced by elements from surviving medieval screens and paintings found in churches across several English counties. The depiction of the Last Judgement, sometimes also referred to as a ‘Doom painting’, was a common feature in medieval churches. It was an instrument for highlighting the contrasts between the rewards of heaven and the agony of hell, intended to guide Christians away from sin and misbehaviour.

How this image was made

Software and tools used: Blender 3D, Cycles Render Engine, Substance 3D Painter, Photoshop

Notes: This image was created by developing a digital 3D model based on survey measurements of the church, historical descriptions, and research by local historians David Kelly and Alicia St Leger. References to what the church interior looked like before the Reformation are scarce. Only general descriptions and accounts provide a few clues to help us visualise it. Therefore, this reconstruction is highly speculative and is influenced by the surviving evidence from other churches of the period.

More about this project: https://bob-marshall.blogspot.com/2021/07/reconstructing-st-marys-church.html