Sanctuary (painting)

Sanctuary or Edward IV and Lancastrian Fugitives at Tewkesbury Abbey is an 1867 history painting by the British artist Richard Burchett depicting a scene from the War of the Roses.

[1] It portrays the aftermath of the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471 when fugitives of the defeated Lancastrians attempted to seek safety in Tewkesbury Abbey from their Yorkist enemies.

The Yorkist king Edward IV is shown with his followers checked at the door by priests upholding the tradition of sanctuary on church property.

Burchett produced a number of works in the style of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

Today it is in the collection of the Guildhall Art Gallery in the City of London, having been acquired in 1895.