Focus on Statue of St Christopher, Norton Priory and analyze the Iconography and the cult of St Christopher.
The name Christopher means "Christ-bearer".  St Christopher was one of the most popular saints in the late medieval period and the cult based on him was derived from legends dating from the 5th century and later.  It is possible that there was a person called Christopher who was martyred between 249 and 251.  However, because of doubts about historical authenticity the cult came in for criticism during the Reformation.  The saint's late medieval popularity derived largely from a version of the story published in 1275 in the Golden Legend by Jacobus de Voragine, in which a giant named Christopher helped travellers across a dangerous river and, when he planted his staff in the riverbank, it burst into leaf.  In addition it was believed that seeing an image of the saint would protect from sudden death that day; this would have been particularly persuasive after the Black Death of 1348–49.  The statue at Norton Priory was "created not as a work of art but as a practical working image with a religious purpose".  Images of St Christopher are found in three poses.  In the first pose the saint stands holding a staff in one hand and the Christ child in the other.  The second pose, that adopted by the Norton Priory statue, shows the saint with a staff in one hand; the other hand rests on his hip and the Christ child sits on his shoulder.  The third version shows the saint walking, holding the staff with both hands, and the Christ child either kneels behind his neck or sits with one leg on each side of his neck.The association between St Christopher and Norton Priory is probably the result of the priory's proximity to the River Mersey.  The priory stood 3 miles (5 km) from the Runcorn ferry where it crossed the river near Runcorn Gap.  The priory had an obligation to be hospitable to travellers, and the saint is the patron saint of travellers.  In addition the priory received one tenth of the profits from the ferry.  In 1331 priory lands had been damaged by flooding, and Greene suggested that the saint might "also have been regarded as a protector against a repeat of the floods".
Christ Golden Legend cult Black Death Reformation Jacobus de Voragine Priory Runcorn River Mersey priory medieval Runcorn Gap martyr Norton Priory