The church that copied the Sistine Chapel ceiling
BBCA church near the West Sussex coast contains an homage to one of Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo's most famous works.
Within the unassuming exterior of English Martyrs Catholic Church in Goring-by-Sea is a scale replica of the Sistine Chapel's ceiling.
The replica roof was created in proportion to the 16th Century original, which is located in the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City.
Parish secretary Anne Niven said: "It's a very good way of showing people in a very, very busy world that actually there is somewhere that's quiet where you can come in, you can enjoy something really really beautiful, and hopefully find peace."
The Goring ceiling was painted in the 1980s by a parishioner Gary Bevans after he returned from a pilgrimage to Rome with the church's priest.
"When they finally got to the Sistine Chapel, it occurred to Gary that the measurements of the Sistine Chapel were in proportion to the measurements of this church," Ms Niven said.
The signwriter, who never went to art school, measured the building upon his return and found it was exactly two-thirds the size of the Sistine Chapel, so set about making a replica.
Rather than painting on wet plaster as Michelangelo did, Mr Bevans recreated the work using acrylic paints.
He worked during the night while continuing his day job, and the entire project took five-and-a-half years - longer than the four years it took to paint the original.
Ms Niven said: "We have a lot of people who say they went to the Sistine chapel in Rome but they were hurried through.
"We try to keep it quiet and calm so that people can actually enjoy the whole experience, not just the ceiling.
"Also, of course, our ceiling is much closer to you than in the Sistine Chapel, so you can actually see what you are looking at."
The church is available to visit free of charge during the week.
Arundel Cathedral has posted drone footage of the ceiling online.
Ms Niven said visitors "come in having sat in their coaches outside thinking 'why have they been brought here?'" but enter the building thinking "wow, it really is quite something".
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