Coventry Cathedral
The city of Coventry, West Midlands, England is unusual in the United Kingdom in that it has two cathedrals which both belong to the Church of England
The roofless ruins of the old cathedral.
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The exterior of the ruins of the old cathedral
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The exterior of the modern cathedral
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The original St. Michael's Cathedral was constructed between the late 14th century and early 15th century but now stands in ruins, bombed almost to destruction on November 14, 1940 by the German Luftwaffe during the Second World War; Only the Tower and Spire along with the outer wall survived. Before 1918 it was the church of St. Michael, the largest parish church in England, but that year was elevated to cathedral status after a revision of the diocese. The new St. Michael's cathedral, built next to the remains of the old, was designed by Basil Spence. The ruin of the older cathedral remains hallowed ground.
Basil Spence (later knighted for this work) insisted that instead of re-building the old cathedral, it should be kept in ruins as a "garden of rememberance" and that the new cathedral should be built alongside, the two buildings together effectively forming one church. The selection of Spence for the work was a result of a competition held in 1950 to find an architect for the new Coventry cathedral of which his design was chosen from over two hundred submitted.
The foundation stone of the new cathedral was laid by the Queen on March 23, 1956. It was consecrated on May 25, 1962 and it's modern design caused much controversy. The unconventional spire (known as a "fleche") was lowered onto the flat roof by helicopter. The interior is notable for a large tapestry of Christ, designed by Graham Sutherland and for the Baptistery window designed by John Piper. This is a stained glass window of abstract design which occupies the full height of one wall. It is compounded from 195 elemental panes of startlingly bright primary colours. Also worthy of note is the Great West Window known as the "Screen of Saints and Angels", engraved by John Hutton. Although referred to as the West Window, this is the ecclesiastical west as it lies at the opposite end from the altar which is traditionally at the east end of a church. Due to the unorthodox orientation of this cathedral, the altar is actually at the north end.
The cathedrals of St. Michael were Coventry's second and third in it's history. The first cathedral in Coventry was St. Mary's priory and cathedral, which held such status from 1095 when the Bishop's see was moved from Lichfield to Coventry, until 1539 when it fell victim to King Henry VIII's Dissolution of the monasteries. Prior to 1095, it had been a Benedictine monastery, endowed by Earl Leofric and Lady Godiva.
Other images
- An alternative view of the outside of the new cathedral
- St Michaels Victory over the Devil, a sculpture by Sir Jacob Epstein
- The Baptistry window from inside the cathedral
- The font, a boulder from Bethlehem.
- The cross in the apse of the old cathedral, made from burnt wood from the destroyed roof.
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