The earliest parts of the church date from the 12th century, but several fragments of sculpture from the 9th and 10th centuries show that this was an important ChristianChristian Name originally given to disciples of Jesus by outsiders and gradually adopted by the Early Church to designate all members of the church. site far earlier. These are a mixture of designs, although one has the top of a saint’s head and another has what may be Norse pagan imagery of the god Weyland, dating from a time when the newly converted Vikings were combining Christian and Norse mythology. The high quality of the carving points to this being a centre for the patronage of high-status Christian art.