Artwork at Coventry Cathedral
This page of the website will be taking a look at the different forms of artwork found at Coventry Cathedral and in particular the spiritual influence of this art. the two primary sources of the information found on this page are the Coventry Cathedral tour (found at
http://www.coventrycathedraltour.org.uk/) and a publication from Coventry Cathedral Council titled 'Coventry Cathedral'.
Statue of St. Michael
In my mind the only place you can really begin this tour of art work at Coventry Cathedral is with the statue of the victory of St. Michael over the devil. This is a fantastic piece of artwork, with an exquisite attention to detail; which you can see in the wings of Michael.
This figure is focusing on one story in particular; it is a depiction of the battle between Michael and his brother Lucifer, also known as the devil, serpent, dragon or Satan. As you can probably see, Lucifer is shown here to be quite an ugly creature, which already has horns and a somewhat disfigured face. This is possibly to make a clear distinction between the figure of good and that of evil. This distinction is made more obvious when you look at the grace and beauty given to the figure of Michael standing over him.
This figure is focusing on one story in particular; it is a depiction of the battle between Michael and his brother Lucifer, also known as the devil, serpent, dragon or Satan. As you can probably see, Lucifer is shown here to be quite an ugly creature, which already has horns and a somewhat disfigured face. This is possibly to make a clear distinction between the figure of good and that of evil. This distinction is made more obvious when you look at the grace and beauty given to the figure of Michael standing over him.
The West Screen
The next piece of artwork with significant spiritual value is what is known as the west screen. despite this
being called the west screen it is actually located on the south side of the
cathedral. This is most likely because unlike every other cathedral in England,
Coventry’s faces North/South. But in order to keep with the tradition of the
main entrance being the west entrance they named this side the west screen.
The west screen holds a very different form of spirituality to that of the statue of St Michael and of other things one would associate with a cathedral. This is because rather than being of religious spirituality it is more of a personal/secular form. It is quite hard to see in the image to the Right, however if you look to the one directly beneath this section you will see that in the reflection of the glass is the ruins of the old Cathedral which was destroyed during the Second World War. It was designed in this way as Sir Basil Spence stated that without the incorporation of the old Cathedral, the new one would stand incomplete.
This massive screen is also very impressive in its own right, rather than just because of its reflection. By merely looking at a picture you do not truly get a feel for how large it is; standing 70 feet high and 45 feet wide. The carvings on the glass are of the Angels and Saints that are found in the Christian tradition.
The west screen holds a very different form of spirituality to that of the statue of St Michael and of other things one would associate with a cathedral. This is because rather than being of religious spirituality it is more of a personal/secular form. It is quite hard to see in the image to the Right, however if you look to the one directly beneath this section you will see that in the reflection of the glass is the ruins of the old Cathedral which was destroyed during the Second World War. It was designed in this way as Sir Basil Spence stated that without the incorporation of the old Cathedral, the new one would stand incomplete.
This massive screen is also very impressive in its own right, rather than just because of its reflection. By merely looking at a picture you do not truly get a feel for how large it is; standing 70 feet high and 45 feet wide. The carvings on the glass are of the Angels and Saints that are found in the Christian tradition.
The Baptistry Window and Font
To me this window stands out as one of the most fantastic pieces of modern glass work in any Cathedral in England. This window was
designed by John Piper and was made by Patrick Reyntiens. It consists of a
staggering 198 panes of glass separated by this chequered stonework. Because of
the inclusion of this stonework the use of figures on the glass was impossible.
Instead Piper decided to use a pattern of colour to make the window seem more
connected than it actually is.
An interesting point about this design is what we can see on the outer edges, you may notice that the edges are not as vibrantly coloured as the rest of the window. This is a technique developed from that of the 13th century glass designers who believed that using white or pale coloured spots around the boarder prevented colour from jumping outward from the glass and keeps the observers focus centred; possibly the only place in the cathedral we see older techniques being used.
The spiritual theme of the design is the idea of the light of the Holy Spirit shining through the complexity of the world. The spiritual significance of this window is only heightened by the fact it stands in front of a very unique form of Font.
Even though it seems completely in place in this modern cathedral, the font is actually older than Christianity itself. It is called the Bethlehem font as it came from the Valley of Bakarat, near Bethlehem. The Valley is mentioned in the Bible in 2 Chronicles 20:26 as Berakah where it says, ‘On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berakah, where they praised the Lord. This is why it is called the Valley of Berakah to this day’, as Berakah means ‘praise’. Based on this, you can see why this font is so important in this building of praise. The font also now symbolises goodwill and friendship because of the process involved in getting it to Coventry. ‘…the Jordan Government, the Jordan contractor who lifted and packed it, the British Consul in Jerusalem, Mr. Martin Young, the Syrian and Lebanese Transport systems, the Prince Line Steamship Company and John Laing & Sons’ all displayed their generosity, before the stone arrived at the cathedral on Christmas Eve in 1960.
An interesting point about this design is what we can see on the outer edges, you may notice that the edges are not as vibrantly coloured as the rest of the window. This is a technique developed from that of the 13th century glass designers who believed that using white or pale coloured spots around the boarder prevented colour from jumping outward from the glass and keeps the observers focus centred; possibly the only place in the cathedral we see older techniques being used.
The spiritual theme of the design is the idea of the light of the Holy Spirit shining through the complexity of the world. The spiritual significance of this window is only heightened by the fact it stands in front of a very unique form of Font.
Even though it seems completely in place in this modern cathedral, the font is actually older than Christianity itself. It is called the Bethlehem font as it came from the Valley of Bakarat, near Bethlehem. The Valley is mentioned in the Bible in 2 Chronicles 20:26 as Berakah where it says, ‘On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berakah, where they praised the Lord. This is why it is called the Valley of Berakah to this day’, as Berakah means ‘praise’. Based on this, you can see why this font is so important in this building of praise. The font also now symbolises goodwill and friendship because of the process involved in getting it to Coventry. ‘…the Jordan Government, the Jordan contractor who lifted and packed it, the British Consul in Jerusalem, Mr. Martin Young, the Syrian and Lebanese Transport systems, the Prince Line Steamship Company and John Laing & Sons’ all displayed their generosity, before the stone arrived at the cathedral on Christmas Eve in 1960.
Tapestry
For anyone entering this cathedral, the tapestry behind the High Alter is the first thing that will really grab you attention, and how could it not? It is roughly the same size as a regulation tennis court and the eyes of Christ were designed to seem as though they are looking directly at you no matter where you are in the cathedral. Still not convinced by the size? well if you look closely at the feet of the image of Christ, you will see what looks like a very small figure of a man, that figure is actually life size.
This piece of work aims to symbolise exactly what this modern cathedral stands for. It was originally going to depict an image of the crucified Christ, however this decision was reversed and instead they made it with an image of a resurrected Christ sitting in glory in His heavenly throne. This huge portrayal of the resurrected Christ is linked with the symbolism of the cathedral itself, this modern cathedral was built after the old one was burned to the ground, a phoenix rising from the ashes to a new state of glory; just like Christ.
This piece of work aims to symbolise exactly what this modern cathedral stands for. It was originally going to depict an image of the crucified Christ, however this decision was reversed and instead they made it with an image of a resurrected Christ sitting in glory in His heavenly throne. This huge portrayal of the resurrected Christ is linked with the symbolism of the cathedral itself, this modern cathedral was built after the old one was burned to the ground, a phoenix rising from the ashes to a new state of glory; just like Christ.