Desecrated and hidden for centuries, priest's effigy is restored to glory

Medieval statue smashed in reign of Henry VIII was found behind church pipe organ

His stone face was smashed in by Henry VIII's soldiers during the Reformation. His alabaster hands, once clasped in prayer, were cut off and the angels who cradled his head were decapitated. Afterwards, his shattered form lay hidden for centuries behind an old pipe organ, unseen, forgotten and enveloped in dirt.

Now, in a find that conservators have described as exciting beyond our expectations", this desecrated effigy - believed to be of a local priest, John de Belton - is being unveiled for the first time in a medieval church in Derbyshire.